TikTok Music Is Closing Down Its Global Operations
- Martina
- 02 October 2024, Wednesday
In a surprising announcement, TikTok has revealed that it will be shutting down its music streaming platform, TikTok Music, with the cessation set for November 2024.
TikTok Music? No, ‘Add To Music App’ feature instead.
Reports of the new TikTok streaming service have been hitting global media outlets — from detailing the launch of TikTok Music in select regions to its plans for global expansion. Artists and fans were excited, while other streaming platforms, namely Spotify and Apple Music, allegedly felt threatened. TikTok Music is shutting down its global operations.
The move came as a surprise to some, with industry insiders speculating that the challenges of competing in the highly saturated music streaming market contributed to TikTok’s decision. However, in an official statement, the short-form video platform explained the reasoning behind its somewhat surprising move. Its goal is to focus its resources on its ‘Add To Music App’ feature, allowing users to save music tracks they discovered on the platform to playlists on their preferred music streaming service.
“We will be closing TikTok Music at the end of November in order to focus on our goal of furthering TikTok’s role in driving even greater music listening and value on music streaming services for the benefit of artists, songwriters, and the industry,” said Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music Business Development at Tiktok, in a statement to Music Business Worldwide (MBW).
“Our Add to Music App feature has already enabled hundreds of millions of track saves to playlists on partner music streaming services.”
An update on TikTok’s website further informed the public of the app’s discontinuance, scheduled for November 28th. Users in the five regions where TikTok Music operates — Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Mexico — have until October 28th to transfer their playlists to other streaming services. Refund requests for unused subscription time will be accepted until November 28th. Afterwards, all user accounts, including personal data, will be automatically deleted.
So, what’s the real reason behind TikTok Music's shutdown?
As mentioned earlier, music industry insiders have speculated on the factors that led TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to this decision, especially since the app is closing down just 18 months after launch.
One reason cited was related to licensing challenges, which were most palpable and publicly discussed earlier this year when Universal Music Group temporarily pulled its whole catalog from TikTok in a dispute over royalty payments and AI policies. The conflict was resolved in May 2024, with the platforms announcing a new ‘multi-dimensional’ licensing deal in an official statement. Additionally, TikTok Music’s division faced significant layoffs back in August 2023, further indicating internal challenges.
However, many believe that the closure may ultimately reflect the platform’s weak adaptation rate and the high cost of sustaining a product that’s not central to TikTok’s core offering.
In the end, the move could prove beneficial for TikTok, allowing it to re-focus on expanding its main platform, developing new features, and fighting its most challenging legal dispute to date, which may result in a ban across the USA, the world’s largest economy.
