TikTok just lost a huge catalogue of music. What happened?

TikTok users experienced a surprising turn of events as numerous videos using songs from popular artists went silent. This followed a public dispute between TikTok and a major music company, resulting in the removal of content from the platform. The music company, Universal Music, accused TikTok of not adequately addressing their concerns over artificial intelligence-generated music and unsatisfactory royalty rates. As a result, Universal revoked its licenses, leading to the removal of its songs from the TikTok music library. Existing videos that featured Universal’s music had their audio deleted. The extent of the content removal is expected to take several days. The conflict highlights the ongoing tension in the music industry between tech companies and the need for control and fair compensation. Musicians are likely to be affected by the dispute, as TikTok serves as a crucial promotional outlet for their work. The resolution of the conflict will depend on the negotiations between TikTok and Universal, and the leverage Universal’s roster of artists holds.