Recently, as music from Universal Music Group artists began disappearing from TikTok, another earworm was swirling in my head. Although it’s not a song, I sang it in the shower and whispered in my sleep: “You got a promotion! You’re now one of my elite employees!”
I’m not the only one obsessed with this. TikTok creators used the meme-worthy soundbite to poke fun at everything from FaceTime friends to smoking leftover weed; the official brand accounts of Xbox and SpongeBob SquarePants even got in on the action. This particular audio comes from @mainlymannie’s sarcastic CEO persona, but viral TikTok sounds can really come from anywhere.For example, an audio clip from two years ago white lotus Characters who talk about text messaging have also appeared on my “Recommended for You” page several times.
With so many popular songs still blocked by TikTok, songs from smaller artists and other labels (such as new music from Beyoncé) may fill the void, but it’s more likely that they will be royalty-free and have little context. Sound clips will become the new hot commodity on the platform.
Songs from UMG-signed artists like Taylor Swift, Drake and Olivia Rodrigo were removed from TikTok in early February, and now more is coming disappear. “Not only does Universal have a lapse in recording contracts, which voids all music performed by its artists, but it also lapses in distribution contracts,” said Tatiana Cirisano, music industry analyst at MIDiA Research. “Now that means that Any song containing lyrics or melodies written by anyone signed by Universal Music Publishing Group will also be removed.”
UMPG issued a statement on Thursday saying the talks focused on differences over music revenue, artificial intelligence and platform security. The company also downplayed the growing number of artists frustrated with having their songs blocked by TikTok: “We understand this disruption is difficult for some of you and your careers, and we’re concerned that it may Sensitive to the impact it has on you around the world.”
User-generated videos of fans lip-syncing and dancing to songs were the foundation of TikTok’s breakout success. In 2017, TikTok parent company ByteDance acquired a popular app called Musical.ly, which The Verge described as a “karaoke app for teens.” The following year, ByteDance merged Musical.ly and TikTok. In the years since, it has become a hub for music discovery, with artists finding new forms of fame through the platform’s memes.
Leah Linder, a member of TikTok’s communications team, emphasized the platform’s ongoing commitment to music fans in an email to WIRED. Linder noted that there are still a lot of songs on TikTok; however, depending on where you live, about a quarter of the typical catalog is currently missing. The company’s recent statement said artists can continue to connect with fans on TikTok even if their official music has disappeared. This seems to be true, especially for behaviors that are already well known. Olivia Rodrigo’s songs may no longer be in my feed, but tons of fan videos from her current tour are in my five-year plan.