TikTok Pulling Plug on Streaming Music Service

TikTok says its streaming music service won’t be around for much longer.

“We are sorry to inform you that TikTok Music will be closing on 28 November 2024,” the video sharing media platform said in a post on its website. “We would like to thank you for all of your support, and we hope you enjoyed the music.”

Following Nov. 28, users will no longer be able to access their TikTok Music login, subscriptions and other functionalities, the company said, giving them until Oct. 28 to transfer their playlists. Users have until Nov. 28 to request refunds.

“Please note, your TikTok Music account information and personal data will be automatically deleted following the closure of TikTok Music,” the announcement said.

The company’s decision was flagged in a report Tuesday (Sept. 24) by Bloomberg News, which notes that TikTok Music was created by TikTok owner ByteDance to capitalize on the platform’s reach and popularity with music fans.

The report added that while videos on TikTok have helped fuel the rise of some hit songs and artists, the service has also led to complaints from record companies seeking payment for the use of their clips.

This year saw a dispute between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok, which led to users losing access to songs by popular artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, who removed from TikTok following the breakdown of contract negotiations between the two companies.

In other TikTok news, PYMNTS wrote earlier this month about the platform’s birth of a virtual trend known as “grocery store tourism.”

The source of this trend has been widely attributed to TikTok user @marissainchina, who posted a video in late spring in which she claimed:

“This may be controversial, but I think the best thing to do while traveling is go to the grocery store. … Going to a grocery store could technically be counted as sightseeing, right? Because not only is it a cultural experience, but you can also find lots of stuff to bring back as souvenirs.”

As PYMNTS noted, the trend comes as consumers increasingly turn to social media to get inspiration about what products and experiences on which to splurge.

The 2023 PYMNTS Intelligence report “Tracking the Digital Payments Takeover: Monetizing Social Media” found that 43% of consumers use social platforms to find goods and services, a figure that climbs to roughly two-thirds for Generation Z and millennial consumers.