An Independent Musician’s POV on the U.S. TikTok ‘Ban’ [Blake Morgan]

“The vast majority of music on TikTok generates virtually no revenue for the musicians who made it,” writes musician, entrepreneur, and fierce artist advocate Bllake Morngan, and “even more music on the platform is completely unlicensed (stolen), copied (stolen via AI), or pirated (stolen).”

by BLAKE MORGAN

There are many loud voices making a lot of noise about TikTok right now, and as someone who makes “noise” for a living, I thought I’d provide an independent musician’s perspective on the TikTok legislation before Congress: I hope it passes, both as an American and as a music maker.

First of all, this bill restricts TikTok, it does not “ban” the app. It forces the company to cut its ties to the Chinese Communist Party and prevents them from accessing the data of Americans. That’s a good thing. The bill doesn’t mandate or regulate speech, it’s focused on national security. The threat is no secret, it’s real: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) called TikTok “a clear and present danger” to our country.

It’s amusing to recall the extent to which everyone freaked out about a Chinese spy balloon but apparently a Chinese spy balloon in every phone is okay. It isn’t.

Second, music makers already know what music lovers are just now learning: TikTok is the worst, most exploitative streaming platform for music, anywhere (and that’s saying something). The vast majority of music on TikTok generates virtually no revenue for the musicians who made it, and even more music on the platform is completely unlicensed (stolen), copied (stolen via AI), or pirated (stolen). Simply put, TikTok is trying to build a music-based business without paying music makers fair value for the music. That’s why Universal Music Group has already pulled out of TikTok. That’s why the National Music Publishers’ Association has already announced it won’t renew its license with the company. So, TikTok poses “a clear and present danger” to American music, too.

Musicians (and Americans) are all too familiar with being underpaid and undervalued, with our data being scraped and sold, with platforms that promote hate speech, bigotry and bullying. But TikTok does all of this and more, while posing an existential national security threat to our country.

“But why aren’t we as worried about the U.S. billionaires who own the other apps stealing our data and trying to manipulate us?” Bluntly, because those U.S. billionaires are subject to U.S. laws and the Chinese Communist Party in China isn’t. Also, we are worried about it, as we should be––but as bad as those platforms are and can be, TikTok is different.

TikTok isn’t X or Meta––they’re on an even more dangerous level, which is what’s behind the growing international response. Nations across the globe, and government bodies like NATO, the European Commission, EU Council, and the European Parliament, are taking action against TikTok. The United States is joining an international community with Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Indonesia, India, Latvia, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Somalia, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom in taking action against TikTok.

Again, this isn’t a “ban” and no one is going to lose their TikTok. This is governments around the world saying we need the company’s ownership structure to change for defense reasons.

It’s happened before by the way, right here. In 2020, the Chinese-owned dating app Grindr was sold after the U.S. government expressed similar national security concerns. Four years later, the app is doing just fine.

It’s rare to see independent musicians (like me) stand with major labels and music publishers, and it’s rare to see Republicans and Democrats stand together at all––let alone overwhelmingly––about anything. And it’s rarer still at a time where it’s hard to hear anything above all the noise. But, at least for this noise maker, forcing TikTok to separate from an authoritarian government bilking musicians (and Americans) is an idea that’s easy to support, especially in an uneasy time.

I hope the bill passes, and I hope the President signs it.