TikTok’s influence can no longer be denied. But to be specific, the beloved social media app’s impact on music has made it the go-to marketing vehicle for record labels and artists alike. So, when Universal Music Group pulled its entire roster of musicians’ catalogs from the platform, the industry noticed.
Several industry executives have applauded the decision due to the app’s refusal to increase its payout rate. However, many artists are too keen on what’s happening. While attending a pre-Grammy event, Uproxx cover star and “Winner” singer Conan Gray gave his opinion.
“My career is over, for sure,” he joked while speaking with Rolling Stone. “I’m never gonna have a hit song again at this rate.”
After getting the humor out of the way, Gray speculated what could happen next for musicians such as himself.
“No, no, it’s fine. TikTok has its ups and downs, and I guess we’ll see what happens. I guess we’ll be creative. There’s gonna be a lot of interesting acappella covers happening from UMG artists until this is settled.”
@rollingstone @conangray: “I think there’s gonna be a lot of interesting acapella covers happening from UMG artists until this is settled.” #conangray #conangrayfanpage #umg #universal #tiktoksounds #music #conangrayedit #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #spotify
Conan found success partly due to the platform’s algorithm (as explained to Cherise Johnson during his appearance on Uproxx’s How I Blew Up), so his take on the tension was interesting for fans to hear. But with the lead single to his forthcoming album, Found Heaven, slated to drop soon, supporters are slightly pissed that they won’t be able to use it on TikTok.
Found Heaven is out 4/5 via Republic Records. Find more information here.
Source: https://uproxx.com/pop/conan-gray-umg-tiktok-music-removal/
