The after effects of failure to agree on a new deal with Universal Music continue unabated, Universal also demanding all tracks its artists ever contributed be taken off the app.

According to BBC, after muzzling all Universal artists' tracks following the music licensing row, TikTok may now have to ax a mountain more songs comprising contributions from Universal-signed musicians.

According to BBC :

This means videos featuring songs by artists like Harry Styles and Adele, who have written with Universal-signed artists, could soon be muted. TikTok says up to 30% of what it calls "popular songs" could be lost.

However, it could get worse as some people in the industry estimate the next level of dispute would be between TikTok and Universal goes beyond halting 80 percent of all music owing to diversified contributions and the copyright to be split in such circumstances with Universal's own artists.

Which, under this scenario, will only lead to a near-spiral downfall of this already struggling app-one in which it struggled very much to cash-in off this connection to the whole industry of music.

The application has, over the years, emerged as an important connection between artists and their audience, with up to 75% of TikTok users reporting finding new artists from TikTok clips.

That, in turn, has made TikTok a critical consideration for record labels looking to showcase their artists and tracks. The platform has already sparked new careers, rejuvenated older ones, and even now has some artists changing the names of their songs to better align with in-app trends.

In fact, TikTok recently hosted its very first live music festival at the end of last year in a bid to ensure a solid foothold for the brand in the music sector. However, in case it removes more content in music due to contract disputes, it may lose ground to YouTube Shorts and Instagram as the people engage with newer trends in music.

It is a battle that seems to pit the advertising value of TikTok over that of Universal, since it only provides the best musical content. Both believe themselves to have the upper hand in negotiations, which is why neither can give an inch and seem to be stuck in a stalemate which, by the financial muscle on display during the broadcast, should work itself out somehow.

It hasn't, but it does seem to suggest that the two sides aren't yet close to a new deal with Universal upping the ante.
Maybe this is just another nudge in that direction, and maybe it all shakes out by next week and becomes a non-issue long term. But it does present as an issue, which raises the question of how much TikTok and Universal really need each other when it comes to promotion and usage.

UPDATE (2/28): TikTok said it has begun scrubbing