Conservative MP Damian Collins has voiced concerns over the control that TikTok allegedly has on British musicians. Collins, a former Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, shared his views on the app with The Telegraph after TikTok launched a trial in Australia last month that limited the amount of music available to users, to test its “importance.” The trial aimed to prove that music is not critical to the app’s success following issues over royalties with record labels. Collins criticised the move, saying that it silenced creators in favour of TikTok’s self-interests and degraded the music experience for users and artists who received little in return. He also expressed concerns about the influence of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance on the UK’s creative sector, stating that they cannot be allowed to stifle creativity and commercial freedom in the country.
TikTok responded to the article, saying that the speculation about the test expanding to other markets was baseless. A spokesperson said that some users in Australia would be unable to access the full TikTok Sounds library for a short period, while the app analysed how sounds were accessed and added to videos and improved the Sounds Library.
TikTok claims that ten out of the twelve number ones on the UK singles chart in the last year were driven by TikTok trends. The app has been instrumental in boosting the popularity of many musical artists, such as PinkPantheress and Hudson Mohawke, whose song Cbat went viral over a decade after its release.
