Universal Music removes their catalog from TikTok
By Molly McGrath
Several weeks ago Universal Music Group (UMG), one of the “Big Three” in recorded music production and distribution, removed all their artists’ music from the TikTok, after failing to reach a licensing agreement. This has been more than a trivial setback for content creators who have relied on the free use of this music; many viral videos have been removed, and the algorithm that pushed content based on its audio has been disrupted. This also poses a complex issue for UMG artists who can no longer use the platform for the promotion of their music and receive royalties from the app, but it also could be seen as a warning shot for the 21st century consumer.
Living in an age where most popular recorded music is so accessible, we may forget that those tunes do not belong to us. If UMG, its competitors WEA and SONY or any of the other sizable labels were to have licensing issues with streaming services like Spotify, or Apple music, many of the albums we love so dearly might no longer be digitally accessible to us!
As a record collector, I sometimes feel like my records are a novelty of some kind because I also pay 10.95 monthly for a Spotify subscription. However, I have many non-Spotifyable Joni Mitchell and Big Black records that I feel blessed to be able to listen to at my leisure. Physical media can’t be taken away by warring corporations.
I am not suggesting that we buy recklessly out of fear of streaming service armageddon, but if you love something, maybe it is worth owning it, and if you can’t live without it, maybe it is essential that you do.
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