Could UMG’s Removal of Songs From TikTok Contribute to a New Era of Dance?
What will TikTokers dance to now? This is a question that everyone has been asking ever since Universal Music Group removed its music from TikTok due to a licensing dispute. Could this lead to a new era of TikTok dances?
On February 1 Universal Music Group removed all of its music from TikTok. The label is behind some of the biggest musicians in the world such as, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd.
One third of these songs were on Billboard‘s TikTok Top 50 Chart. Universal stated that they were concerned over the use of A.I. and fair compensation for artists for the use of their work. This relationship between these two companies has been seen as mutually beneficial because more people discover music because of TikTok. As a result, this causes more people to listen to these artists that are under the UMG label.
Yall think UMG is REALLY tryna negotiate a higher licensing fee for music artists on TikTok?
— No Conformity (@No_Conformity_) February 22, 2024
They already pay .03/sound use that’s $30 every 1K uses. But idk the licensing fee they pay to use the music.
Comment below if you know… but also pic.twitter.com/cYfcDHqT4I
This has resulted in a great deal of “muted” TikTok videos. Some of the users have decided to archive these videos and others have left them up due to the amount of views and likes that these videos have. Clearly, fans on the internet are not happy with UMG’s choice.
UMG vs TikTok is ruining part of the eras tour fun… Getting your account BANNED bc you are sharing concert footage?! Insane.
— Carine Are you not entertained? (@CarineK) February 20, 2024
Aowa now I have to hide that video coz TikTok just muted the song. The challenge just started. UMG you’re injuring the artists.
— George Mnguni (@Okay_Wasabi) February 21, 2024
Some creators have responded to UMG’s removal by filming their videos using music from songs in the public domain. That’s right, instead of dancing to new trendy songs, your favorite TikToker is probably going to dance to a song that your grandparents used to get down to. Some songs include “Steamboat Willie” which entered public domain this year on the first of January.
But this change in music can lead to a whole genre of new dances. Before the app was used to film short videos of true crime stories or your cat knocking stuff off the counter, creators used it to make up dances for popular songs. We have yet to see how this decision will shape the landscape of music on TikTok.
