record labels

• Universal Music Group’s new Twitch account puts a fresh spin on live music
• A quarter of indie artists now put their music straight on TikTok–no label required

  According to MIDiA's most recent music economy report, a full quarter of musicians upload their songs directly to TikTok and other platforms, completely bypassing distributors, labels, and even streaming services like Spotify. These musicians clearly recognize that TikTok can make songs go megaviral, whether that's older tracks having a resurgence thanks to a trendy dance or new songs becoming a meme-y earworm, and see the platform as a way to distribute their art directly to fans, without a middleman taking a cut of their revenue (aside from TikTok's own cut of their ad dollars, of course).