TikTok’s relationship with the music industry was never sustainable. As many digital media outlets realised in the mid-2010s, when they “pivoted to video” in an attempt to placate Facebook’s algorithm, only for the bottom to fall out of that platform, it’s never wise to place the fate of an entire industry in the hands of a private company whose motivations and modes of operation are opaque at best. Big stars who have built-in fanbases won’t be profoundly affected by their music being off TikTok, but new stars will.
Source: The music industry’s over-reliance on TikTok shows how lazy it has become | Shaad D’Souza
The American Federation of Musicians has struck a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, reaching a deal that union leaders hailed as “a watershed moment for artists” that includes residuals for made-for-streaming content and protections against the use of AI. The AFM announced the tentative agreement one day after the sides resumed contract negotiations that began in January.
Exclusivity of content was great for attracting new subscribers, but investors on Wall Street are not solely concerned with subscriber totals any longer, and now streamers are realizing that easy money is there for the taking if they license some titles to other outlets.
