Songs by Juan Karlos, Zack Tabudlo, and other OPM artists are no longer available on TikTok

You're not imagining it. Songs by Juan Karlos and Zack Tabudlo, like the viral "Ere" and Yakap" are no longer available for use in Tiktok videos.

While another version of “Ere” posted by Island Records Philippines—a label under UMG Philippines that manages Juan Karlos—is still up on TikTok, the original song recording is not available.

Likewise, a user-recorded version of Zack’s viral song is still up for use, but the official recording is unavailable.

The two musicians are signed under Universal Music Group (UMG) Philippines, the local arm of Universal Music Group, which failed to reach a new licensing agreement with TikTok.

Songs from the label's artists have been removed from the platform, following the news that broke at the end of January.

According to UMG, TikTok proposed paying artists and songwriters a "fraction of the rate" that similarly situated major social platforms pay.

TikTok said in a statement to Reuters that UMG's narrative is "false" and said UMG's actions were not in the best interests of artists, songwriters, and fans.

Songs by global UMG artists like Taylor Swift and BTS have also been pulled from the platform.

GMA News Online has reached out to UMG Philippines, Juan Karlos, and Zack for comments but they have yet to respond as of this writing.

In the meantime, their music are available in other platforms like Spotify, where Juan Karlos made history as the 1st Filipino to debut in the Top 100 global charts last year. 

— LA, GMA Integrated News