Friday 1st March was the day the music died... at least it was on TikTok. Last Friday marked the end of TikTok’s current license for the Universal Music Publishing Group catalogue—spanning some 4 million songs—as it officially expired.

As brands continue to go viral on TikTok owing to their clever use of original music, the role of sound in campaigns is becoming less of an afterthought and more strategically significant for standing out in a crowded digital landscape.