Um, what is happening on TikTok right now? Here’s why all your videos are now silent

So, if you’ve opened TikTok in the last 24 hours, you might have noticed that most of your videos have gone silent, with the sounds being removed. We can no longer use any music by artists like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles and if you bought into the Saltburn hype, the sounds of any videos using Murder on the Dancefloor have now also been removed.

Your FYP is probably filled with royalty-free music that sounds like the background of a Zoella video circa 2012. But what is actually happening and why can’t you use any of Taylor Swift’s music anymore? Literally, what are you going to soundtrack your Eras tour outfit reveal to? I am distressed.

So why have loads of sounds disappeared from TikTok and why is everything silent?

Basically, TikTok has been in a massive dispute with Universal Music Group and as a result, they’ve pulled their music completely off the app.

Universal owns the rights to A LOT of famous artists including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Adele, Lana Del Ray and Nicki Minaj. Their contract with TikTok was about to expire and they released a scathing open letter saying that TikTok doesn’t pay the artists and label enough to use the songs on the app.

TikTok released a statement back saying: “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” the social media app’s statement read. “Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.”

Covers, sped-up and slowed-down versions of songs are still available to use but any song posted previously with any Universal artist song has been removed and the videos are completely silent.

Which artists have been removed from TikTok?

• Taylor Swift
• Nicki Minaj
• Olivia Rodrigo
• Drake
• Bad Bunny
• SZA
• Rihanna
• Adele
• Billie Eilish
• Ariana Grande
• Harry Styles
• BTS
• J. Cole
• Demi Lovato
• Kendrick Lamar
• The Weeknd
• Alicia Keys
• Troye Sivan
• BTS
• Lana Del Rey

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Featured image before edits via Rob Latour/Shutterstock, David Fisher/Shutterstock and YouTube.