TikTok’s Chinese parent company may have to sell the popular social media platform. On Tuesday (April 23), the U.S. Senate passed a bill requiring ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok within nine months, otherwise the app will face being banned from U.S. stores.
Congress included divestment demands in a $95 billion security package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel. President Joe Biden has said he will sign the bill into law. The ban could take effect as early as January 2025, but Biden could grant an extension.
TikTok’s potential loss of U.S. market access could have significant ramifications for the music industry. Many of the songs became hits as TikTok users incorporated them into dance and challenge videos.
Rappers Soulja Boy and Coi Leray have addressed possible TikTok bans
Artists such as Soulja Boy and Coi Leray have previously commented on the possibility of a TikTok ban. In March this year, Soulja Boy responded to the House of Representatives passing a TikTok-related bill. He joked: “I made 32K in one day [is] Why are they trying to ban TikTok.
That same month, LeRae tweeted: “TikTok is not a streaming platform. I have never looked at it as a whole. I’m not worried. As long as you don’t take away Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Tidal, [Audiomack], YouTube Music, Amazon Music, I’m OK. Music and my love for it are timeless.
ByteDance may challenge legislation in court
Republican presidential candidate/former U.S. President Trump supported a TikTok ban citing national security concerns while in office, then turned to blaming Biden for the hypothetical outcome. If Biden signs the National Security Supplement, ByteDance may challenge the regulation in court on First Amendment grounds.
In November 2023, a federal judge blocked Montana’s attempt to impose a state ban on TikTok on free speech grounds. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled that the ban “potentially violates the First Amendment” and reflects “pervasive anti-Chinese sentiment.”
