Why Universal Music's War Against TikTok is a War Against Music Culture
Universal Music Artists Are No Longer on TikTok
If you use TikTok like we do, you may have noticed Universal Music artists are no longer available to use in content on the app. This includes acts such as SZA, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, BTS, The 1975 and a massive percentage of the music industry. While to some this may not seem like an issue, it very much is.
In the aftermath of Pitchfork’s demise, the culture is faced with limited options to embrace the culture as music fans. We recently discussed the capital owner obsession with prioritizing profit over culture in the music industry, as we do often. This move is a move in a longline of executives gutting places of entertainment culture.
TikTok is a thriving community for content and in fact is responsible for many up-and-coming artists in a variety of industries, including music. By pulling these artist’s music from the app, we are risking yet another place in which people can enjoy music, as well as setting a precedent that could lead to less marketing capabilities for artists, if music becomes a legal liability for TikTok. In the midst of what seems to be a constant battle with capital over culture, we will continue to be vocal for the soul of the culture.
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