TikTok’s “iron grip” is short-changing British musicians, MP warns

nme.com:

TikTok could risk musicians losing out on royalties, according to a former tech minister.The Conservative MP Damian Collins, the former Minister For Tech and the Digital Economy, has said that potential changes to the app that are currently being trialed in Australia will be unhelpful for artists who have achieved particular success on the platform.Per The Telegraph, TikTok has been carrying out a trial in Australia that limits the number of songs users can use in their videos.

The move is part of an effort by TikTok to prove that music isn’t crucial to the app’s success amid clashes with record labels over royalties.Collins, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, accused TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, of “silencing creators in favour of their own self-interests” and “degrading” the music experience for users.

He also criticised the app for giving artists and songwriters little in return for their contributions to its success.“We cannot quietly stand by and let ByteDance and TikTok stifle our world-leading creative sector with their Chinese technological iron grip while enriching themselves from it.

This suffocation of creative and commercial freedom must not be allowed to go any further – it must not be allowed to happen here in the UK.”He continued: “It doesn’t seem too much to ask… for TikTok to let users keep accessing the music they love and to treat creators fairly.”Music has been an instrumental part of TikTok’s success, and the app claimed that 10 Number One songs on the UK Official Singles Chart in 2022 experienced success at least part because of TikTok trends.