ByteDance-owned TikTok has announced the shutdown of its music streaming service, TikTok Music, effective by the end of November. Users have until October 28th to transfer playlists to other services and until November 28th to request refunds for unused subscription periods. A statement on the TikTok Music website confirms the permanent nature of the closure, with all user data set to be deleted.

TikTok’s global head of music business development, Ole Obermann, cited the company’s intention to focus on enhancing TikTok’s influence in music streaming through partnerships, rather than operating its own service. Despite this, the specific reasons behind the shutdown were not disclosed.

Launched in 2022, TikTok Music replaced ByteDance’s Resso in Brazil and Indonesia in 2023, offering lower subscription fees compared to Spotify. However, weak adoption rates and potential licensing challenges may have contributed to its closure. The service’s discontinuation comes after a round of layoffs in August 2023 and a licensing dispute earlier this year with Universal Music Group.

While TikTok Music is closing, TikTok continues to expand its music initiatives, including the recent addition of a Bandcamp channel, as the company faces other challenges, including a possible ban in the United States.

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Over 230 years after his death, a new composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been discovered. The piece, dating back to the mid-to-late 1760s, was found in a Leipzig, Germany library. It consists of seven short movements designed for a string trio and runs for about 12 minutes. This remarkable find, dubbed “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik” (Very Little Night Music), highlights the genius of a young Mozart who was just beginning to demonstrate his prodigious talent.

The manuscript, believed to be a copy made around 1780, was uncovered by researchers working on the Köchel catalog, a comprehensive collection of Mozart’s works. The piece was performed for the first time in 260 years on September 19th in Salzburg, Austria, coinciding with the launch of the updated Köchel catalog. The German premiere is scheduled to take place at the Leipzig Opera soon. This discovery is significant, as it adds to the rich collection of Mozart’s chamber music, many of which were thought lost.

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