Music CEO: TikTok ban a 'blessing in disguise'

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STORY: Music label executive JP Morray is one of those who sees potential advantages to a U.S. ban on Tiktok.

"I do believe it will be a blessing in disguise."

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to get Tiktok's Chinese owner Bytedance nine months to sell the short video app - that has 170 million American users, or have it banned in the US altogether.

President Joe Biden has since signed it into law.

But many experts doubt if any potential buyer has the financial resources to buy TikTok, or if China and U.S. government agencies would approve a sale.

Morray is CEO of Interlude Studios, which relied on TikTok to launch careers of artists like singer ASTN.

He said news of the Tiktok ban didn't come as a shock. He also says most artists he spoke to were ready to move on.

"It didn't really come along with any major concern. I would say the concern has been relatively minor because the artists are ready to move on to what's next. I think they're a bit tired of the vanity metrics and chasing those with TikToks day in and day out."

TikTok has rivaled larger tech companies like Meta for user attention and ad budgets.

It's changed how young people discover music, by catapulting emerging artists into viral hits.

But Morray admits the app doesn't work as well for his own venture as it used to.

"The actual use of TikTok and the prioritization of that tool specifically for us and for artists, while it still remains, it isn't as powerful as it once was."

Aside from the ban, Tiktok's clashed with music industry giants lately.

It started pulling Universal Music's content from its app in February, after failing to reach a licensing agreement with the music label.

Ultimately, Morray thinks the music industry should come up with its own platform for music discovery.

"Obviously it will come with its difficulties initially and its hardships, how can we reach people, how can we reach wider audiences, where are people going to get their music - all of these questions will arise but I think naturally it will resolve itself."

The ban caps a four-year battle the US government launched over concerns Beijing could use TikTok to influence content or access user data.

"Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere."

Tiktok's CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video moments after Biden signed the ban, that the video app would continue working despite restrictions, and they would fight the ban in U.S. courts on First Amendment grounds.