Chicago — Noticed anything different on TikTok, recently? You’re not crazy. Loads of music have been taken off the platform, and it has had unintended consequences.
Universal Music Group started pulling songs at the end of January, after not being able to come to an agreement with TikTok on a new licensing deal.
Trying to record a dance? You’ll have to find the small percentage of music that Universal Music Group doesn’t own. Want to make an edit of a favorite character from a TV show or movie? You’re down a lot of options.
Users on TikTok have started to get creative, though. Instead of relying on the now banned songs to make edits, they use sounds in the public domain or not owned by Universal Music Group, such as @apocalypticrodent, who made a “Hannibal” edit to “It’s Raining Tacos”.
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.