Yvonne Ile publishes new research on the Black TikTok strike

Congratulations to (former ICMP Programme Leader) Yvonne Ile on the publication of new research exploring a TikTok strike from Black creators. 

Published in INSAM Journal of Contemporary Music, Art and Technology, Issue 8, 2022, 'How Black Creators Stopped the Clock on Tik Tok' explores how a number of artists withheld content from the social platform between June and July 2021. 

This protest from Black creators was prompted by a claims that many of the viral dances they posted on Tik Tok were not being credited to them but their white counterparts. 

Commenting, Yvonne said:

This paper explores cultural appropriation within the 21st century music industry and the representation of Black artists." 

"This strike occurred as Black creatives said that they were behind the majority of the viral dances on the platform but they weren’t getting the recognition they deserved. There was an episode of the Jimmy Fallon show in the US where a white creative was invited on to do TikTok dances and many of these were taken from Black creatives.

Continuing, Yvonne said: "There was this backlash and when Megan Thee Stallion released her new single, there was no dance as the Black creatives said they were on strike." 

My research highlights these issues for Black creators and how important it is to have conversations around ownership and creative copyright." 

Alongside her academic research and teaching, Yvonne also writes and records music under the artist name, Jael. 

Channeling the spirit of Erykah Badu and more, new music is expected from Yvonne in 2023.

Look out for our interview on the ICMP blog soon and read the research here.