Real Reason TikTok January 19 Shutdown Is a Blessing in Disguise for Hardcore Music Lovers

SUMMARY

• With ByteDance being forced to sell TikTok, the social media platform is now awaiting its fate under the US Supreme Court.
• According to reports, either the court will strike down or delay the sale, or TikTok will have to finally shut down on January 19.
• While users are lamenting this impending doom, TikTok's ban might be a blessing and finally revive the golden age of music.

Considering how TikTok has been banned in different parts of the world, the fate of the hour seems to be now approaching the US, where the digital platform is planning to shut down on January 19. The app which is used by half of the United States’ population for entertainment and information, has announced its decision to leave unless the Supreme Court strikes down or delays TikTok’s forced sale by ByteDance. 

TikTok headquarters at California | image: Coolcaesar, licensed under CC-BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, this announcement has sent shockwaves through TikTok’s massive user base and the music industry. Being one of the most influential social media platforms to reshape how music is discovered, consumed, and popularized, the app’s potential ban has sparked concerns about its impact on artists and listeners. But it seems that in the end, the whole process might actually be a blessing in disguise for hardcore music lovers. 

TikTok is currently awaiting its potential shutdown on January 19 

In a shocking move, The Guardian reported that Joe Biden has recently signed a law that will ban the short-form video app TikTok, on 19 January unless its parent company ByteDance, hands over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons. Although content creators and users have argued that the law violates the First Amendment rights—the Constitution’s right to free speech—the digital platform seems to have no choice. 

Now, as per CBS News, although lawyers for former President Donald Trump have called on the court to temporarily prevent the TikTok ban from going into effect, the company seems to be awaiting its potential shutdown on January 19, until the Supreme Court rules in their favor or at least delays the effective date of the law. 

TikTok might get banned in the U.S. | image: Solen Feyissa, licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The news has left TikTok’s more than 170M users in tears since the app had become a major source of entertainment and information for Americans. Further, considering how millions of influencers rose to fame from the digital platform, by merely lip-syncing and sharing daily vlogs, the app’s ban seemingly hinted at their impending fall. Therefore, people have now begun rallying against this dramatic law, with hopes of making a change. 

Reasons why TikTok ban could be a blessing for true music lovers 

Meanwhile, the news of TikTok’s potential shutdown seemed to appear as a blessing in disguise for hardcore music lovers. Considering how the social media platform has affected the music industry by turning art into a commodity of content creation, forcing unnecessary viral videos, and turning lesser-known songs into global hits—@ThePopTingz noted that the app’s ban might finally bring back organic success and quality music. 

After TikTok popularized the consumption of 15-30-second videos, it significantly affected people’s music listening habits, where fans began appreciating just the catchy hooks, rather than getting into the depth and context of songs. So it seems that with the app’s ban, listeners might finally return to exploring full albums, and pay more attention to the lyrics rather than turning songs into viral dance challenges. 

Further, given how TikTok’s algorithm often promoted trending sounds, it often led to lesser-known artists getting sidelined, while overexposure of certain catchy tracks. Therefore, a shutdown might finally allow music fans to search and discover artists and music as they please, rather than following the herd. Overall, the app’s ban might finally help independent artists to find equal opportunities, who previously struggled to compete with viral trends on TikTok. 

TikTokers from Berlin | image: Lear 21, licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In the end, here’s a deeply personal take—TikTok’s shutdown might serve as a legit blessing because real music fans won’t have to experience fatigue from the trendy songs getting rubbed at their faces every time they open a social media site. And most importantly, the ones who consider music as a holistic experience will finally have a stronger emotional connection to songs outside of the fleeting, trend-driven market. 

Written by Krittika Mukherjee

Articles Published: 2348

Krittika is a News Writer at FandomWire with 2 years of prior experience in lifestyle and web content writing. With her previous works available on HubPages and Medium, she has woven over 2000 stories with us, about fan-favorite actors, movies, and shows. Post-graduate in Journalism and Honors-graduate in English Literature, when this art enthusiast isn't crafting your next favorite article, she finds her escapism in coffee, fiction, and the Wizarding World.