TikTok And The Battle Of The Music Usage Rights

To play… or not to play. That is the most significant battle TikTok is fighting at the moment and that is whether or not to allow the use of copyrighted music. And let me tell you, this has the potential to alter the look and feel of the app, especially because TikTok relies so heavily on music for its videos' performance.

According to?Bloomberg, TikTok has embarked on a daring adventure, testing the waters of users’ musical preferences. They began with a small control group and are testing the effects of limiting the number of music options Australian users can post on their app, to see if music is really worth its weight in gold.?

Yes, suppose you were confused for a second. In that case, TikTok is trying to determine the exact monetary value of music on its app, as a handy bargaining chip in its negotiations with music publishers. Apparently, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been looking to pay less for music usage within the app, claiming that music isn’t as critical to the TikTok experience as publishers would like to believe, which is absolute nonsense if you ask me.?

Sadly, this music copyrighting tune is one that ByteDance has been singing for a while, as it has been trying to prove that music isn’t as essential to its app as music publishers think. As a result, music from platforms like Resso by Sony Music was removed after negotiations hit a sour note.?

Music has been more than something to fill the silence. It has been a pivotal launching point for many emerging artists. Music sharing has been a way to increase visibility and increase reach. Certain songs have seen a major re-emergence because of this new surge of music sharing on TikTok, and limiting that would be a travesty.?

Unfortunately, TikTok is testing the waters, trying to see if users still dance to the beat without certain songs. Will this move away from music, and gain TikTok more leverage in future negotiations? Only time will tell.?For brands, the sound of silence may not be music to their ears, as they are already limited in the audio they can use in their clips. But for users, the change could be a symphony or a disaster, depending on how it affects the music trends in the app.?

In conclusion, TikTok’s musical experiment is underway, and only a select group of songs in Australia are involved for now. If usage remains high, despite the missing songs, it could be a win for ByteDance and a loss for music publishers. Let’s sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Hopefully, we get to keep the simple pleasure of having music on the app, but only time will tell.?