It was literally the day the music died.
Many TikTok creators are finding that the music from their videos was removed on February 1. Songs by some of the most popular musical artists, including Taylor Swift, Drake, Rihanna and many others, disappeared from videos on the platform after Universal Music Group, UMG, didn’t reach a deal with TikTok to renew its licensing agreement.
Many TikTok Videos Went Silent On February 1!
But That’s My Opinion – TikTok
At the end of January, creators started to spread the word that songs by certain artists may disappear on February 1.
“Now the reason TikTok’s been known to have so many popular songs on the app is because they have a deal with Universal Music Group to incorporate them into TikTok,” TikTok creator who goes by @butthatsmyopinion on the app said. “But that deal expires tomorrow [February 1] and Universal Music Group and TikTok haven’t come to an agreement on renewal.”
He explained that songs by “Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, and many other musicians” will be removed from the platform.
He also explained that the reason an agreement has yet to be made is because of three issues, “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok users.”
@butthatsmyopinion Could TikTok survive without popular music? #tiktokmusic #universalmusicgroup #tiktoktrendingsong ♬ original sound – But That’s My Opinion
“Some peoples dance videos are going to look really odd🤣,” one person wrote in the comments. Another said, “This platform legit is one of the reasons I found my now favorite artist lmao.” Another viewer added, “Tiktok makes songs go viral what they gon do without tiktok😭.”
To get the full scoop on just what’s going on, UMG issued a statement that gives all the details TikTok creators and viewers need to know.
Another TikTok Creator Also Explained The New Silence On TikTok
Haven Lough – TikTok
TikTok creator Haven Lough started his video about music being pulled from the app by singing a well-known trending sound to help make his point clear.
“Wake up! It’s the first of the…I’m never gonna have a good month again,” he said. “Because TikTok permanently removed the first of the month audio along with so many other viral trending sounds.”
He said that if you scroll through his “big” videos, “they’re all muted.”
“Apparently, TikTok has beef with this one record label called UMG, where they’re literally taking off all their artists and all their songs from the platform, and they’re going strictly to Instagram reels and YouTube shorts,” he continued. “So TikTok is gonna completely change now, especially with audios.”
@havenloughso many of my videos have been muted♬ original sound – Haven Lough
“I heard about this but I didn’t think they were being real💀,” one viewer of Lough’s viral video wrote in the comments. Another added, “My most viral video is now muted 🙄.”
Some Creators Have Taken The “If You Can’t Beat It, Join It” Attitude
Haven Lough – TikTok
Lough had some fun with the unfortunate news of many songs he’s used in his videos being removed. If you can’t beat it, why not have some fun with it, right?
In one video, he decided to sing a song that was removed. In others, he danced to music he wouldn’t normally chose for his videos.
@havenloughWE WANT OUR SOUNDS BACK 😭🙏🏻 ( DC: ME )♬ Fluffing a Duck – Kevin MacLeod
“the amount of times I’ve watched this today 😅,” one person wrote in the comments. “Please I hate my videos being muted they make no sense with them being muted,” shared another.
Another popular creator who often shares dance videos, Chrissy Allen, who goes by @csapunch on the app, also shared a video making light of the music being silenced on her videos.
“What my TikTok page looks like now that all the music’s been removed,” is written on a video of her dancing with no music, only squeezy sounds from her shoes.
@csapunchIts so embarassing!!!!!🙈🙈😂😂♬ squeak squeak – userlooserpooserkooserdooser
Allen’s followers kept the humor going with some hilarious comments about her video.
“😭😭😭this sound prob gonna b removed by nike 😭,” one person wrote. “Let’s play ‘Guess that Tune’😁,” another suggested. One other viewer stepped in to suggest another idea, “Just tell us the song-we’ll sing it as we watch.😁”
Chrissy Allen – TikTok
Comments also pointed in the direction of not having any music to hide behind now, and others explained that they had no idea what was going on when they noticed their videos were suddenly silent.
“They gonna force us introverts to talk now?? NOPE! 😬,” wrote one person. “haha I was wondering what happened to all my sounds! I’m outta the loop,” wrote another.