When Universal Music Group made good on their threat to remove music from its label off TikTok, a lot of artists suffered.
Naturally, multinational stars under the label, like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, weren’t affected too much, but other artists, like the band Dead Posey, told Passionfruit how the removal stunted their growth.
“The fact that all these companies have this much power over artists and songwriters is scary,” the band told us. “The endless hours we work on our music just for something like this to happen is very disheartening, and we believe the entire business model needs to change across the board.”
But with every cloud, there’s a silver lining. While up-and-coming artists like Dead Posey got the short end of the stick, there are countless other independent artists on the app who are now seeing their content soar.
Lilith Max, for instance, went viral after calling for a “rise of indie artists” in a TikTok and has been reaping the benefits since.
“My views and followers have skyrocketed since I made a post about the UMG situation and called for a rise of indie artists. With UMG’s removal, TikTok users are seeking fresh music to add to their videos, and indie artists are willing to fill that gap,” Max told Business Insider.
“Now I constantly receive comments from people saying how happy they are to discover underrated artists like myself.”
These sentiments have also been expressed in other viral videos. Country singer Emily Zeck wrote in a recent TikTok caption, “It’s our time to shine baby.”
Similarly, rap artist Ktlyn noted in a now-viral clip that artists like her “actually have a chance.”
It’s been ten days and counting now since UMG removed their artists’ songs on TikTok, and there’s no sign of them returning anytime soon. If nothing else, this new normal spells good news for some and devastation for others.
