TikTok sounds go silent as songs disappear from app::Videos across the platform have lost their audio in dramatic dispute

  • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Imagine actually using TikTok. Life is too short to spend your time on that shit.

    • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Why must people yuck other people’s yum?

      I used to watch Tiktok a lot. It’s the primary way I heard and learned about left side politics. It has it’s uses.

      • Marketsupreme@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Yeah I genuinely see no difference between tiktok and other social media. Everyone on reddit/lemmy loves to hate on tiktok I never really got why. If it’s because of data collection they’re doing nothing any different than Facebook, insta, etc. Now X, that’s another story lol.

        • TopRamenBinLaden@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          I think Western people just have a bias where it’s fine if their own country does it, but when their boogeyman China is doing the same exact thing, it’s all of the sudden scary and bad.

          I, personally, think TikTok is not great for people or society, but I have the same exact feelings about Facebook, Instagram, and all of the major Western run social media stuff. TikTok is by no means any worse than them. For that reason, Lemmy is the only social media account I have at this point, but I dont judge anyone for using any of them. The majority of the people criticizing TikTok are hypocritical, for sure.

          • Adanisi@lemmy.zip
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            10 months ago

            Yeah. All of these social media platforms are pretty bad. TikTok has been caught abusing android bugs, basically behaving like a virus. I’m sure the others have done something similar.

          • Marketsupreme@lemm.ee
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            10 months ago

            I agree! I think algorithms made with a profit incentive are harmful. I also think tiktok has been super impactful in a positive way to bring people together in a more human way than traditional sm allows for.

    • Gigan@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Lemmy is not better if your concerned about using your time wisely

      • madcaesar@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        True, but lemmy content is less click baity and less refreshed in general which makes me use it less, and I actually love that.

        I don’t want more content!

      • TheFriar@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        I dunno. It’s full of articles, I’m reading news constantly, I’m discussing social topics with—now that I think I about it, surprisingly level headed people sharing interesting opinions….i learn a lot here. Sure, I also get shown really stupid shit. But I spend the majority of my time reading stuff. And looking up other stuff when I discuss things. So I’d disagree. Respectfully. My good friend.

      • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        It’s better because it includes the friction of clicking through instead of being force fed videos one after the other.

    • Case@lemmynsfw.com
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      10 months ago

      Time enjoyed is not wasted.

      Of course, Tik Tok isn’t my jam, so it would be a waste of time for me.

      • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        Let’s not suggest that addiction to social media somehow counts as time enjoyed

          • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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            10 months ago

            Not even remotely close to what I said, nice false equivalency though

        • dacreator@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Everyone isn’t addicted to social media, it’s about learning to set clear boundaries. My wife has IG and a few times a week we’ll watch reels on her phone before bed. We have a few laughs together and spend ten minutes on it tops. I consider it quality time and actually look forward to it.

    • criitz@reddthat.com
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      10 months ago

      I don’t use TikTok, but this comment has it backwards. Life is too short to deny yourself fun for some kind of perceived superiority.

      • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Strongly disagree. Life is too short to spend your life on a toxic platform that rots your brain out

        • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          All social media platforms are toxic platforms that rot your brain out, including this one. TikTok is not uniquely terrible, like every other platform, you have to curate a quality feed. My feed has a lot of language learning, history, and fiber arts. I prefer long form content, but sometimes I learn about California redwoods while praying on the porcelain throne.

          I have concerns with children being on TikTok, but before it was TikTok it was iPad kids watching Elsa and Spider-Man pregnancy videos on YouTube. The problem is parental supervision.

        • criitz@reddthat.com
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          10 months ago

          That kinda sounds just like a boomer opinion about anything on the internet.

          • 0xD@infosec.pub
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            10 months ago

            While generally I’d agree with you, these apps are engineered to exploit human weaknesses to make a few people money and have real and measurable effects on the human psyche. From reduced attention spans due to short form or dense content, to problems with self-worth, these apps are literally bad for you if you engage with them a lot - which, again, they are engineered to get you to do. They are completely manipulative and not “just another fun thing”.

            You can also have fun by reading a book. Or making something. Or going out.

            • criitz@reddthat.com
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              10 months ago

              Thanks, you make good points. I like your comment better than the one where the guy told me to eat shit.

          • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            That’s nice. Your opinion has as much value as a shit flavored lolly pop. Your favorite flavor.

    • Aermis@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I watch a tiktok maybe once a day. The algorithm is mostly cooking and science for me. It’s highly enjoyable content if you get past the noise and obviously don’t overuse it. That can be said for any social media app, including lemmy.

  • kava@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I think it’s a short-sighted move by Universal. Granted, maybe they know something we don’t (Tiktok getting banned soon), but the benefit in TikTok for artists isn’t necessarily the revenue but the promotion of their songs. They are short clips, usually no more than 15~20 seconds long. Lots of people use the songs in their videos, lots more people listen to a clip and want to listen to the full thing -> they go to youtube or apple music or whatever where Universal presumably would make a much larger share of the revenue.

    • Quicky@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      This should have far more upvotes than the easy “TikTok sucks” comments above. Whether you like the platform or not, it directly generates revenue for the musicians.

      Anecdotally, the amount of times my kids have heard a song on TikTok then gone on to Apple Music and added it to their playlist - then usually listening to other songs by the same artists - must be in the hundreds by now.

      • angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com
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        10 months ago

        TikTok basically controls the Billboard Hot 100 right now. Some say that’s why 2023 was, according to a lot of pop music critics, such a bad year for pop.

        But honestly, TikTok losing control over Billboard or less UMG artists on the charts are both positives to me.

        • Alex@feddit.ro
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          10 months ago

          Sadly my favourite band, The Score, publishes with UMG

    • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Oh I see you haven’t met yet. Kava, this is the recording industry, they wish it was legal to shoot you in the face for humming a song that sounds like one they own the copyright for unless you’ve paid them to hum it.

      The recording industry, you’re going to need a subpoena before I introduce anyone to you.

    • papertowels@lemmy.one
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      10 months ago

      Yeah, I hate tik Tok but it was a slam dunk of people clipping and sharing the catchiest part of songs. I’d think it’s easy money for the label.

  • Eddie Trax@dmv.social
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    10 months ago

    TikTok is garbage and I don’t care how much my mate tries to get me to join, every time he sends me a link to some portrait mode video I cringe.

    Everyone is a “content creator” nowadays. Which just makes the majority of said content complete shit.

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      If it makes you feel any better, I spent 4 minutes in my browser debug tools, deleting the mandatory login trash overlay to see a TikTok video a friend sent me. I was immediately disappointed with all of it and, while I was vindicated in my choice to not log in, I learned my lesson.

  • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
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    10 months ago

    The copyright shit does go too far sometimes, but if this means I can go into public without having to hear TT on 10 different phones around me at once, I’m a fan.

    • EssentialCoffee
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      10 months ago

      I read your comment and was trying to figure out why people were listening to an 8 year old Korean song, but realized you’re probably talking about something else.

  • LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Just imagine how much more stupid all the TickThots will look making those stupid dance moves without any music

  • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    Let me just say that I learned more useful and interesting things than I ever did on any other social media platform to date. I also haven’t had a Facebook insta or any of that ilk since 2015. Reddit, then TikTok, then here at Lemmy is all I’ve had since then.

    I found lots of videos giving me awesome facts about animals I never learned in school or elsewhere! (A opossum is naturally immune to rabies and is actually good for your wildlife area!)

    I learned multiple ways to make things easier on myself, some being: car maintenance, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, acceptance of others and of myself, and laws and politics (that they then give you multiple sources for or show you the website or place they got their info) just to name a few!

    While I still get videos that I find funny, most of them have been actually beneficial to me which I couldn’t believe I had been hating on TikTok for so long because I thought it was just dumbass pranks or mindless drivel like “satisfying” videos or whatever.

    I’m not saying use it, because I haven’t in a few weeks, but it can actually give you really good and quality content.

    • Dicska@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Before I would get any itch to join the TikTok trend back when it started, I heard that the Chinese Communist Party was collecting some worrying amount of information on their user base, has been suppressing and/or blocking content that raised voice about the uyghur situation and did various nasty things. So I thought I would stay away from that until the situation improves. I have never heard a fraction of information about that happening. Did everyone just suddenly stop caring about how disgustingly TikTok treats privacy and user data (and how they suppress voices they don’t like), or did I just simply miss the bit where they stopped doing all those things?

      Because that’s one of the many reasons I haven’t touched it with a stick.

      • Death_Equity@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        The vast majority of people don’t actually care about any of the issues you raised. They care more about fitting in with their friends and engineered dopamine hits.

        • littleblue✨@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          The vast majority of humans are useless fucks that act as though they’re incapable of thinking beyond their own self interests, or even less. 🤷🏼‍♂️

          • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee
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            10 months ago

            Well, considering I’m on iOS and gave it no access to anything, and I would never use it to upload anything to begin with, these issues do not pertain to me. I don’t link accounts on it, and the email is a burner email that iOS made for me to specifically use for that app.

            I think a lot of these privacy concerns are more for people who actually want to use it for posting or making videos. Then I would be worried about all the data. I give them nothing, no real names or anything. So, I would say I’m okay. 👍

        • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          Well, considering I’m on iOS and gave it no access to anything, and I would never use it to upload anything to begin with, these issues do not pertain to me. I don’t link accounts on it, and the email is a burner email that iOS made for me to specifically use for that app.

          I think a lot of these privacy concerns are more for people who actually want to use it for posting or making videos. Then I would be worried about all the data. I give them nothing, no real names or anything. So, I would say I’m okay. 👍

      • lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        10 months ago

        Every social media site does the exact same thing. There was just an article on here the other day about the US government buying people’s information from data brokers. How is that any different? Meta has been censoring anything pro-Palestine, Twitter is a breeding ground for Nazis, YouTube picks and chooses what counts as “mature content” aka what gets monetized. The way TikTok treats privacy is how every social media platform treats it, it has nothing to do with them being Chinese.

        • abhibeckert@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Every social media site does the exact same thing

          I sure hope Blåhaj Lemmy isn’t doing any of that crap.

          the US government buying people’s information from data brokers. How is that any different?

          Um, isn’t that obvious? The US government accesses information collected by private companies. The Chinese government controls a source of news that is used by billions of people. Those are totally different things.

          Sure, TikTok insists they have no ties to the government. But there’s plenty of evidence exposing that as a blatant lie.

          Not sure what Meta/Twitter/YouTube have to do with this. Bringing them up is at best a distraction. If you don’t trust them (I don’t, for the record) don’t use those platforms. Simple.

          • lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            10 months ago

            There was literally a Senate hearing today about KOSA, the bill allowing the US government the legal grounds to control sources of information on the internet. So no, they aren’t totally different things.

            And I was specifically referring to this part that OP said:

            I heard that the Chinese Communist Party was collecting some worrying amount of information on their user base

            The only difference between the Chinese government and the US government collecting information is that the US goes through a middleman who aggregates it from multiple sources.

            Meta/Twitter/YouTube have everything to do with this because they’re doing the exact same thing. Do I need to mention the numerous times Facebook has been sued for illegal data collection? Cambridge Analytica ring a bell?

          • Grimy@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            If you are warry of all of them I don’t think the argument is aimed at you.

            Many people think tik too is the devil while willingly feeding the other ones. Not to mention that the hate aimed at tik too is mostly manufactured by the government.

            I think the point is that all of them should be held to a higher standard, not just the one owned by foreigners.

      • NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I don’t use TikTok, but a lot of the concern is just overblown China bad stuff (CCP does suck, but that doesn’t mean you have to be reactionary about everything Chinese).

        There is no direct evidence that the CCP has some back door to grab user data, or that it’s directing suppression of content. It’s just not a real thing. The fear mongering has been about what the CCP could force ByteDance to do, given their power over Chinese firms. ByteDance itself has been trying to reassure everyone that that wouldn’t happen, including by storing US user data on US servers out of reach of the CCP (theoretically anyway).

        You stopped hearing about this because that’s politics, new shinier things popped up to get people angry about. North Dakota or whatever tried banning TikTok and got slapped down on first amendment grounds. Politicians lost interest, and so did the media.

        Now that’s not to say TikTok is great about privacy or anything. It’s just that they are the same amount of evil as every other social media company and tech company making money from ads.

        • lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          10 months ago

          It’s literally just racism. People act like other social media platforms aren’t just as bad about privacy because they sell your information instead of giving it directly to the government.

      • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Well, considering I’m on iOS and gave it no access to anything, and I would never use it to upload anything to begin with, these issues do not pertain to me. I don’t link accounts on it, and the email is a burner email that iOS made for me to specifically use for that app.

        I think a lot of these privacy concerns are more for people who actually want to use it for posting or making videos. Then I would be worried about all the data. I give them nothing, no real names or anything. So, I would say I’m okay. 👍

      • LucidNightmare@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5120391/

        “In fact, rabies is extremely rare in opossums, perhaps because they have a much lower body temperature compared to other warm-blooded animals.”

        They do have a natural immunity to rabies thanks to their body, but immunity does not always mean 100%. They have a lot lower risk of it, which means they are more immune than other animals.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    TikTok videos have gone silent after vast number of songs were removed from the app.

    Universal represents many of the world and TikTok’s biggest stars, such as Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Adele.

    A statement written as “an open letter to the artist and songwriter community” said: “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.

    “Today, as an indication of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base, rapidly rising advertising revenue and increasing reliance on music-based content, TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue.

    A statement from TikTok said: “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

    “Despite Universal‘s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.


    The original article contains 435 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • scottywh@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    TikTok is utter trash all around but the music is the second worst part, closely behind the stupid ass fake voices.

  • Adam@doomscroll.n8e.dev
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    10 months ago

    Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

    They want to be paid?! What is this.

    … that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.

    Yeah, cause artists (well, people in general) love getting paid in exposure.

    • kava@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I know it’s become a meme, but exposure is a real tangible thing. If I get a clip of my song onto millions of people’s phone screens and I don’t pay for it, it’s basically thousands (if not tens of thousands) of dollars of free advertising.

      Just because some asshole on Facebook marketplace is begging for free commissions doesn’t invalidate the benefits you can gain from exposure in general.

      Having said all that, we are talking about Universal not some indie folk band. The same thing Tiktok is doing to Universal (paying a very small %) is exactly what Universal does to artists. I have very little empathy for either Tiktok or Universal.

      On the topic, I actually support Tiktok more in the sense that independent artists now have the means to go viral much more easily on a platform which inevitably leads to organic growth + success. Universal is a behemoth from an era that hasn’t fully died.

      • assembly@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        This could be a good move for everyone. It said TikTok has agreements with everyone else so many other artists will have the chance to get noticed now. The Universal artists are already well known and don’t really need more promotion anyways. This gives the smaller people a chance. Aight I’m off to learn an instrument, write a song, create a record label, and sign up for TikTok exposure. Wish me luck…how hard could it be.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Exposure is great until you try to pay for your groceries with exposure. The manager of my local ACME hasn’t been very receptive.

  • Monkey With A Shell@lemmy.socdojo.com
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    10 months ago

    "The open letter also said TikTok allows the platform to be “flooded with AI-generated recordings”, and also develops tools to “enable, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself”.

    It accuses TikTok of “demanding a contractual right which would allow this content to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a move that is nothing short of sponsoring artist replacement by AI”."

    Universal is just salty they didn’t think of stealing all the rights via AI replacement first.