The Associated Press reported Friday (December 19), citing an internal memo from ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew, that TikTok’s parent has signed binding agreements with a consortium of investors to form a new joint venture for the app’s US business.

The agreement with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX is reportedly set to close on January 22, allowing the app to continue running in the US.

TikTok plans to retrain its recommendation algorithm exclusively using US user data as part of the joint venture.

Chew wrote in the memo to staff obtained by the AP: “I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued dedication and tireless work. Your efforts keep us operating at the highest level and will ensure that TikTok continues to grow and thrive in the US and around the world.

“With these agreements in place, our focus must stay where it’s always been—firmly on delivering for our users, creators, businesses and the global TikTok community.”

Under the structure, the three investors will each hold 15% stakes in the new US entity, while ByteDance will retain 19.9% ownership, with another 30.1% going to affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, the AP said, citing the memo.

Separately, Business Insider reported that an additional 5% will be held by other unnamed investors, bringing outside ownership to 50%.

The reported memo confirms earlier reports that a group of investors including Oracleand Silver Lake would hold a combined 50% stake in TikTok US to appease the Trump administration.

Under the “divest-or-ban” law passed by a bipartisan majority in Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden, TikTok is required to sell its US operations or face an effective ban on operating in the US. The law’s original deadline was in January of this year, forcing the app offline briefly for American users. TikTok has about 170 million users in the US.

Trump brought the app back online during his opening days in office, granting a 75-day pause to let potential American buyers put together offers.

When talks stalled, Trump pushed the deadline back (after pushing it back multiple times) to December 16, and ordered the Department of Justice not to enforce the law until January 23, 2026, in order to give time for the deal to be finalized.

Financial terms of the deal with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX were not disclosed. In September, US Vice President JD Vance said the proposed transaction would value TikTok’s US operations at “around $14 billion.” Reuters noted at the time that the price tag is “far below some analyst estimates”. In June, Morningstar analysts predicted that a deal for TikTok’s US business would be “north of $50 billion.”

Shares of Oracle rose nearly 7% in NYSE trading on Friday following the reports.

The AP said a seven-member board with an American majority will lead the new US venture. User data will be stored domestically in Oracle-run systems, the report said. The company plans to retrain its recommendation algorithm using only US user data to “ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation,” the AP said, citing the memo.

The algorithm has been central to concerns raised by US lawmakers, who have warned that Chinese authorities could exploit it to shape content distribution. In late 2022, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship, and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act, also called the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act, to protect Americans from algorithmic manipulation.

Meanwhile, the new venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the US, the report said.

Chew added in the memo: “Advertisers will continue to connect with global audiences with no impact,” according to Business Insider.

This agreement concludes years of regulatory pressure on TikTok, keeping ByteDance involved in its US operations while addressing lawmakers’ demands for reduced Chinese control over the app.

Effective December 1, TikTok appointed Ziad Ojakli as head of public policy for the Americas, a veteran government affairs executive. He replaced Michael Beckerman, who spent more than five years steering TikTok‘s policy response to mounting political pressure and announced his departure in April. Beckerman will then transition to a global advisory position.

Before joining TikTok, Ojakli held senior government affairs positions at Ford, SoftBank and Boeing, and served in the George W. Bush administration.

The developments also mark a sigh of relief for ByteDance, whose valuation jumped to $480 billion in a transaction in late November, more than doubling from the $230 billion reported in September last year.

Direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp has revealed that artists and labels have been paid out $154 million via its Bandcamp Friday initiative since the program’s launch in March 2020.

The company launched Bandcamp Fridays at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns impacted the earnings of indie artists from tours and shows. The latest figure represents a $31 million increase from the $123 million Bandcamp reported in May 2024.

This year alone, Bandcamp Fridays saw payouts of $19 million from fans directly to artists and labels, topping the prior year’s total.

Bandcamp typically takes 15% of digital sales and 10% of physical goods. On Bandcamp Fridays, it Bandcamp waives its revenue share to let musicians and labels keep the full purchase price when fans buy music or merch. The company said December’s event generated more than $3.8 million in 24 hours, the highest single-day total of the year.

Bandcamp added that artists receive an average of 82% of sales on regular days through the platform’s artist-first business model, contributing to over $1.5 billion that Bandcamp has paid out to artists and labels to date, the platform said on Thursday (December 18).

As of writing, Bandcamp’s website says the platform has seen fans pay artists $1.64 billion, with 77,031 records sold via Bandcamp yesterday alone.

Dan Melnick, General Manager at Bandcamp, said: “Five years on, Bandcamp Fridays continue to show just how powerful direct fan support can be.”

“2025 was another brilliant year for artists and labels, capped by our strongest Friday of the year, and we’re incredibly excited to bring even more opportunities to the community in 2026, expanding to 8 next year.”

The platform plans to run eight Bandcamp Fridays in 2026: February 6, March 6, May 1, August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6 and December 4.

In September, Bandcamp launched a new subscription service that gives users access to monthly record selections, listening parties, recommendations and exclusive artist content. The ‘Bandcamp Clubs’ feature launched with a USD $13-a-month subscription fee and offers a “subscribe-to-own” music discovery experience.

Melnick said at the time: “Instead of algorithms, fans get human-curated picks from some of the best DJs and journalists in their respective areas, exclusive interviews with artists, and community listening parties.”

Founded in 2008, Bandcamp launched as a direct-to-consumer alternative to record labels for artists. It has since expanded its services to include features such as ticketed live-streaming and vinyl pressing.

Artists like Peter Gabriel and Bjork have placed their catalogs on the platform.

In 2022, Fortnite developer Epic Games acquired Bandcamp and sold it to music licensing platform Songtradr in 2023.

This isn’t sci-fi anymore. It’s real, and it’s moving fast. Let’s walk through what you need to know from human input to legal registration so you stay ahead of the game.

The New Rulebook: Human Creativity Still Wins

Officially, the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) has set the record straight: works generated entirely by AI are generally not copyright-eligible. But if you bring significant human creativity into the process, even if AI helps you can protect your work. The USCO states that “a work created solely through AI is not copyrightable, but a work that combines human creativity with AI can be copyrighted.” (Music Business Worldwide) Music Business Worldwide

So yes: if you used AI, but you also wrote lyrics, adjusted the arrangement, played live instruments, or reshaped the AI output, you're still in the game. One summary says, “Copyright protection in the United States requires human authorship” (Reuters), Reuters+1

What this means for indie artists: using AI is not disqualifying as long as you are the creative force, not just the bystander.

What the Protection Looks Like for Music

Here’s how it plays out in the real world. The USCO accepted registration of works where the author used AI tools but retained sufficient creative control. They note that simply prompting an AI tool and publishing the output isn’t enough. (USCO) White & Case+1

To illustrate: if you drop some lyrics, choose the beat (even if the AI suggests variations), record your vocals, tweak the structure, and finalize the mix, you have human authorship. On the other hand, if you hit “generate loop,” accept it as-is, and release it without change, that’s risky.

The law is basically saying: the artistic fingerprint matters.

What This Means for Indie By Nature Creators

Since we’re all about supporting indie artists, especially in urban/R&B/house/hip-hop and related genres, here are the key takeaways:

1. Use AI as a tool, not the artist. Let the machine assist, but make sure you make the decisions.

2. Document your creative process. Saving stems, session dates, and audio edits showing how you shaped the final piece is smart.

3. Register your work correctly. Even with AI involvement, you should still go through standard registration (through the USCO or your country’s equivalent) and indicate what part you created.

4. Keep an eye on royalties and rights. If your track includes elements born of AI, your splits, credits, and claims need to reflect your creative contribution, not just an algorithm’s output.

What to Watch Out For

• The source data used to train AI tools: there’s a growing legal question around using copyrighted works without permission in AI training sets. The USCO is investigating this. WIPO+1

• The global patchwork: Some countries might interpret “human authorship” differently. Make sure you know the rules for where you distribute.

• Contracts and samples: If you collaborate, use AI loops, or use others’ AI-generated sounds, make sure your agreements clearly state who owns what.

• The future is not static: Policies are shifting. The USCO released Part 2 of its AI report on January 29, 2025, about copyrightability. copyright.gov+1

Final Mic Drop for Indie Artists

AI in music is not your enemy. It’s a tool. But like any tool in your studio, you still need to be the artist, the creator, the boss of your sound. Make sure your creative voice is unmistakable, your ownership is locked down, and your rights are protected.

Here at Indie By Nature Radio, we celebrate artists who push the culture forward with beats, with lyrics, with vibe. And yes, with technology too. Just keep your creativity front and center, own your story, register your work, and don’t let the algorithm take all the credit.

Because at the end of the day, your art deserves to be yours, no matter how many AIs helped in the session.

Stay creative. Stay independent.

If you're an independent artist grinding in the studio, performing at showcases, or dropping your latest single on Spotify, you're already putting in the work. But here's a hard truth that doesn't get talked about enough: you might be leaving money on the table if you don't understand how royalties work or how to collect them.

Let's make this simple and talk about how you can make sure every play, stream, and spin puts something in your pocket.

What Music Royalties Really Mean

A royalty is the money you earn when your music gets used, whether someone streams it, buys it, plays it on the radio, or syncs it in a movie. According to Investopedia (2024), royalties are payments made to creators for the right to use their intellectual property. In our world, that means your beats, your lyrics, your vocals: your art.

Every time your song moves through the world, it's generating different types of income. Mechanical royalties come from reproductions, like digital downloads and streams. Performance royalties are earned when your song is played in public, whether on the radio, at a concert, or in a restaurant. Sync royalties are what you get when your music is placed in TV shows, movies, or ads. Even though print royalties (for sheet music and lyrics) are less common these days, they still exist.

Each one of these is part of the ecosystem that helps you get paid for your creativity. The key is knowing where that money flows and making sure your name is attached to it.

How to Actually Get Paid

Getting paid for your art starts with being registered in the right places. If you're not signed up with a Performance Rights Organization, or PRO, you're already missing out. The major ones in the U.S. are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. They collect your performance royalties whenever your music is played publicly or streamed. Signing up is quick: you just create an account on their website and start registering your songs.

Then there's The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective). They handle your mechanical royalties from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. It's completely free to register, and you can get started at themlc.com.

Don't forget about SoundExchange, which collects digital performance royalties for when your recordings are streamed on digital radio platforms like Pandora, iHeartRadio, and SiriusXM. If you're the recording artist or label owner, you'll want to be in their system too.

Once you're registered with these organizations, you're no longer guessing where your money's going: you're collecting it.

Publishing vs. Copyright: What's the Difference?

This is where a lot of artists get confused, but it's really not that complicated. Copyright is your proof of ownership. It protects your music under the law: your lyrics, your melody, your composition. You can register your works officially through the U.S. Copyright Office at copyright.gov.

Publishing, on the other hand, is the business of monetizing that ownership. It's what ensures you're actually getting paid when your copyrighted songs earn royalties. If copyright is the title to your house, publishing is the person renting it out and collecting the rent checks.

As an indie artist, you can either self-publish and collect everything yourself, or you can work with a publishing company that helps you manage and collect royalties worldwide. Both paths work: it's about what fits your goals and how much control you want to maintain.

Protecting Yourself and Your Art

Your creativity is your currency, so protecting it isn't optional: it's part of being professional. Always register your songs with the Copyright Office to legally lock in your ownership. Make sure you've joined a PRO and The MLC so every stream, spin, and live performance pays you what you're owed.

Keep good records of who you collaborate with, agree on song splits before you hit the studio, and put it in writing. And when it comes to contracts, don't rush them. Read everything. If something doesn't feel right, talk to a music lawyer or consultant. There's power in understanding what you're signing.

Owning Your Indie Future

Being an indie artist doesn't mean you have to do everything alone. It means you're building something real on your terms. Understanding royalties, publishing, and copyright isn't about becoming a lawyer; it's about protecting your bag and your legacy.

You've already invested your time, energy, and talent into your music. Make sure you're not giving the business side away for free. Register your work, claim your royalties, and learn how your art earns, because every stream, show, and sync should be working for you.

You deserve to get paid for what you create. After all, if your music moves people, it should move money too. ????

Sources:

• Investopedia. (2024). Royalty definition. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/royalty.asp
• The Mechanical Licensing Collective. (2024). Get started. Retrieved from https://www.themlc.com/get-started
• Indie Music Academy. (2024). Music royalties explained. Retrieved from https://www.indiemusicacademy.com/blog/music-royalties-explained
• U.S. Copyright Office. (2024). Musicians & copyright. Retrieved from https://www.copyright.gov/engage/musicians/

Atlanta is gearing up for one of its most anticipated events of the year — ONE Musicfest (OMF) — and for 2025, founder Jason “J” Carter is making sure it’s an unforgettable celebration of culture, unity, and local pride.

A Festival Rooted in Purpose

When Carter first conceived the idea behind ONE Musicfest, he said he was responding to a vacuum in the live music scene. “I just could not find anything quite like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo that spoke to my music, my culture,” Carter told Bossip in a 2025 interview. Determined to change that, he partnered with others who shared his vision, even after skeptics told him it would never work with our culture. That resistance only reinforced his mission: “that lit the fire to prove them wrong” (Bossip, 2025).

Now entering its 16th edition, OMF has become what Carter describes as “a kumbaya, Woodstock moment for our community”. Its ethos is simple yet powerful: Unity Through Music.

What to Expect — New Venue, Bigger Footprint

In an important shift, OMF is returning to Piedmont Park and, for the first time, instead of the usual two stages, OMF will expand to three performance stages this year. Carter also teased “over-the-top surprises” and the biggest Food Truck Village yet.

Lineup, Legacy & Cultural Impact

OMF’s 2025 lineup stands out as both celebratory and intentional. Carter remarked, “After losing Rico [Wade], celebrating Future, bringing Mary J. Blige for the first time, spotlighting Doechii — it’s needed. We need moments of joy, ways to celebrate each other.” (Bossip, 2025)

Performers slated for the weekend include Future, The Roots with Mary J. Blige, Ludacris & Friends, Jazmine Sullivan, Kehlani, Clipse, and Doechii, among others. These names honor OMF’s commitment to bridging generations, genres, and audiences.

Carter has remained unwavering in his choice to plant OMF’s identity firmly in Atlanta. “This doesn’t move, this doesn’t grow, this doesn’t happen outside of Atlanta … For the last two decades, Atlanta has really been carrying the torch with regards to urban culture.” (Bossip, 2025)

He credits that endurance to the city’s support, including festival vendors (over half local and Black-owned) and civic leaders who have backed the event.

What ONE Musicfest Means for Atlanta & Beyond

• Economic & cultural engine: As one of the few large-scale, Black-owned open-air festivals, OMF contributes to Atlanta’s creative economy and local business ecosystem.

• Accessible platform for artists: By featuring both legends and breakthrough acts, Carter ensures that emerging talent shares the spotlight with icons.

• A space for joy and healing: With tributes, surprise guest sets, and “moments of joy,” OMF is committed to more than entertainment — it’s about collective uplift (Bossip, 2025).

• Community anchoring: Carter’s vision ties OMF’s identity to Atlanta, refusing to let the festival become untethered to the city that birthed it.

As OMF 2025 approaches, the promise is clear: more music, more culture, and even more opportunity to unite Atlanta. With a lineup that spans sonic eras and a home in the heart of downtown, this year’s edition may well be one for the history books.

References

Bossip. (2025, October 7). ONE Musicfest Founder J Carter Talks Historic Fest. https://bossip.com/3927193/one-musicfest-founder-j-carter-interview/

Georgia World Congress Center Authority. (2025). Everything you need to know about ONE Musicfest at Centennial Olympic Park. https://www.gwcca.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-one-musicfest-at-centennial-olympic-park

Fox 5 Atlanta. (n.d.). ONE Musicfest lineup Piedmont Park announced, tickets sale. Retrieved from https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/one-musicfest-lineup-piedmont-park-announced-tickets-sale

A Quiet Launch That Could Shake Up Creator Marketing

Universal Music Group (UMG) has quietly rolled out a new creator marketing app called House of Carmen, designed to connect influencers directly with the label’s artists and pay them to post content on TikTok and Instagram. The platform aims to “bring creator marketing in-house,” and it could redefine how labels leverage social creators. “As creator marketing has continued its growth trajectory, we realised there was a real need to bring it in-house — somewhere we could house a global creator database, deliver prompt payment, and integrate all of our data sources to enable effective and timely analysis of campaigns.” says Janey Stride, Director of Commercial & Creative Innovation over at Universal Music UK (Music Business Worldwide, 2025)

How House of Carmen Works

Launched initially in the U.K. in September 2024, House of Carmen allows creators with at least 1,000 followers to join and collaborate on label campaigns. Creators can receive:

• Direct briefs, offering guaranteed payments, or

• Challenge-based campaigns, where compensation depends on performance metrics such as reach and engagement.

The app gamifies participation, allowing users to compete for top-performing posts tied to major releases. Universal manages the entire process, from campaign creation and payment to analytics and compliance all within the app.

UMG is operating the project in “stealth mode,” refining its systems before launching in new territories. Expansion to Germany is already planned, with a U.S. rollout expected soon (Music Ally, 2025).

InGrooves’ AI Tech: The Data Engine Behind the Vision

UMG’s move toward a creator-led marketing ecosystem aligns with its parallel innovations through InGrooves Music Group, a UMG subsidiary specializing in AI-powered promotion tools (Universal Music Group, 2024).

InGrooves recently secured multiple patents for machine learning technologies that predict which online trends will translate into streaming growth. The company says one system can drive streams at nearly double the rate of traditional marketing. InGrooves’ latest AI system can even detect rising music trends on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, allowing marketers to spot viral moments early. Dr. S.K. Sharma, Chief Analytics & AI Officer, stated: “We are now able to use those insights to invent and power the most innovative solutions available to artists anywhere.” (Music Business Worldwide, 2025)

Why It Matters for Indie Artists and Creators

UMG’s House of Carmen represents a new kind of power play, one that combines creator marketing, AI analytics, and major label scale into a single ecosystem.

• Direct control over influencers: UMG no longer relies on third-party agencies to run campaigns.

• Built-in data optimization: By connecting creator performance data with InGrooves’ AI tools, the label gains real-time insight into what content drives streaming conversions.

• Opportunities for micro-influencers: With only 1,000 followers required, smaller creators can collaborate with one of the world’s biggest labels.

• New competition for indie artists: The system may make it harder for independent campaigns to compete for social attention without similar infrastructure.

The influencer marketing industry is projected to exceed $32.5 billion in 2025, according to Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2025 Benchmark Report. “Brands and labels are investing in creators because audiences trust peer recommendations far more than traditional ads” (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2025).

What to Watch Next

1. U.S. Rollout: Will Universal launch House of Carmen stateside in 2025?

2. Creator Rights: How transparent will UMG be with payouts and usage rights?

3. Indie Access: Will independent artists be allowed to collaborate through the platform?

4. Competitor Response: Will Warner or Sony follow with their own creator networks?

The Indie By Nature Take

For independent artists, House of Carmen is both a warning and an opportunity. It demonstrates how far major labels are willing to go to establish their relationships with creators, but it also highlights the growing value of authentic creator influence.

Indie By Nature will continue tracking how apps like House of Carmen impact creator pay models, indie artist exposure, and the overall digital music landscape.

References

Influencer Marketing Hub. (2025). Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2025. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report-2025

Music Ally. (2025, October 7). UMG launches House of Carmen app for influencer campaigns. https://musically.com/2025/10/07/umg-launches-house-of-carmen-app-for-influencer-campaigns/

Music Business Worldwide. (2025a, October 7). Universal has quietly launched a creator marketing app that pays influencers to post content on TikTok and Instagram: Meet House of Carmen. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-has-quietly-launched-a-creator-marketing-app-that-pays-influencers-to-post-content-on-tiktok-and-instagram-meet-house-of-carmen/

Music Business Worldwide. (2025b, September 25). InGrooves just won a patent for new marketing tech that it says drives streams at a rate nearly double that of traditional methods. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/ingrooves-just-won-patent-for-new-marketing-tech-that-it-says-drives-streams-at-a-rate-nearly-double-that-of-traditional-methods/

Universal Music Group. (2024, March 4). InGrooves issued third AI/ML music marketing patent. https://www.universalmusic.com/ingrooves-issued-third-ai-ml-music-marketing-patent/