My Apple Music Library Has Been the Same for 5 Months

I haven't added much new music to my Apple Library in the past several months of 2023. Except for a few truly amazing records that came out last year, I've been listening to the same stuff all the time. There isn't enough new and refreshing music coming out these days, or maybe it's just hard to find. It's becoming more challenging to find now that apps like TikTok have changed the way musicians create and promote their music. Is TikTok destroying the music industry? I believe so. Time passes, and music evolves, but instead of focusing solely on creating amazing music, many musicians are concentrating on getting at least one song to become popular on that single app. Which is usually a catchy song, something you can dance to, or something you can make any kind of trend out of. Although this is enjoyable and not necessarily a negative thing, it has practically killed the idea of actually creating great music. I don't necessarily mean "viral" when I say "great music." I hope we don't become overly immersed in entertaining trendy songs and lose sight of the importance of listening to music that makes you feel something deeply or is thought-provoking.

The largest music distribution company in the world, Universal Music Group, announced at the end of January that they will be removing all of their artists' songs from the popular app TikTok. With musicians like Drake, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, BTS, The Weekend, and many more, UMG is home to a large portion of the music industry. UMG includes labels like Capitol, Def Jam, Interscope, and Republic, it additionally features a significant music publishing sector dedicated to songwriters. TikTok and Universal each released statements outlining their reasons for this disagreement. To put it simply, UMG didn't think TikTok was paying enough. Honestly, based on what they have said and the situation, I believe that both businesses think they bring the same amount of value to each other, which is the primary reason they are unable to reach a consensus. They both believe that they are more necessary to the other company than the other company is to them. TikTok gives musicians a massive platform and has altered not just the way artists market themselves but the music business as a whole. This one app has taken center stage in the music industry. But without these artists, TikTok would not have taken off as quickly as it did. People appreciate their music, which makes them want to share it in many ways on various platforms. 

Who truly suffers since UMG removed all of their artists' catalogs from TikTok? And in this scenario, who is more useful to the other? The musicians affiliated with Universal, in my opinion, bear the brunt of the issue. There were a lot of musicians who had songs that were becoming viral and that they were advertising on there right before the music was taken down; those songs are now gone. All it does is make it more difficult for them to get their followers to hear their songs. Additionally, I believe that Tik Tok is far less important to UMG than Tik Tok is to them. Music was the main source of TikTok's popularity. It has been crucial to the success of the app. However, at least not right now, I don't think it will harm them as much as people believe. Numerous well-known content creators on the app are well-known for their personalities rather than their focus on music or even music-related dancing challenges. We'll have to wait and see how long the app can function assuming that all of this music will remain erased.  The upside of this is that more independent or lesser-known musicians will now have a greater opportunity to get their songs discovered on the platform.

"Red Moon in Venus" by Kali Uchis is one of my favorite albums of 2023. Beautiful production and lyrics throughout the project. Not too many features on it, which I appreciated, and I also appreciated how relatable this album is, which is why I kept returning to it because there were so many songs that I could relate to my own life. Another favorite was Don Toliver's “Lovesick”. The entire album was just so much fun and euphoric. There are no skips, and each song on the album sounds unique but is set in the same world. Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday 2" album, which was released in December of last year is still one of my favorites of 2023. As someone who grew up listening to Nicki, this album gave me such a nostalgic sense. While the album feels current, there are numerous times, whether it's a bar or a flow, that can remind you of anything she's done previously in her career. These are just a few examples of music released last year that I greatly appreciated and found to be refreshing and creative.

Because there wasn't enough new music released during the year that I cared about, I went weeks without hearing anything new. As a result of that, I ended up revisiting the catalogs of some artists I enjoy.  I went back and listened to older Destin Conrad and Ambre tracks. What I like about both of these musicians is that they are exactly what I mean when I say I want to hear a new sound, something refreshing, music that cleanses my palate from all of the mediocrity being pushed to the masses.  There are already numerous ways in which music might feel repetitive, including recycled lyrics, similar beats, and even sampling. It's a wonderful experience to discover an artist who sounds nothing like anything else you've heard before and continues to amaze and thrill you with each drop. That is what we must have more of. That is what should be promoted more. 

I'm expecting that 2024 will be a much better year for music. Many musicians I'm looking forward to hearing from this year include Sir, who hasn't released an album since 2019, Snoh Aalegra, whose last album was released in 2021, and Doechii, who has been sporadically dropping songs but hasn't released a project since 2020. Another reason I was listening to so many of the same songs last year was that many of the original and creative musicians haven’t released anything in a long time and aren’t usually the most consistent. In 2024, I'm hoping for more "wow" moments in music. I feel like there are so many standout moments from prior years, such as the 2000s. A song, music video, or perhaps an album that had a cultural impact and was extremely popular at the time and still is. I feel like we haven't had enough authentic impactful music moments recently, but maybe that’ll change this year. Let's see what my Music Library looks like in 5 months.