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Millions of popular songs are set to be removed from TikTok

Millions of popular songs are set to be removed from TikTok

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Millions of popular songs are set to be removed from TikTok

Universal Music looks set to take all its songs off TikTok after a breakdown in talks over the social media site’s licensing agreement.

Millions of songs are set to be removed from the platform after Universal Music Group (UMG) revealed that its agreement with TikTok has not been renewed.

The change means that tracks from hugely popular artists including Taylor Swfit, The Weeknd, and Drake will no longer be available.

TikTok has called the news ‘sad and disappointing’, and claims that UMG has ‘put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.’

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In an open letter, the group accused TikTok of ‘bullying’, adding that they only wanted to pay a ‘fraction’ of the rate offered by other platforms for the catalogue of millions of songs, however, the Chinese-owned social media called this a ‘false narrative’.

While Universal claims the social media platform, with more than one billion users, accounts for just one per cent of their revenue, the move will result in many of TikTok users’ favourite artists and sounds being removed.

Artists signed to the world’s biggest label include Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Drake and many more.

Seven of 2023’s top 10 most-streamed artists worldwide on Spotify are leaving TikTok as a result of Universal Music Group (UMG) pulling songs.

They are headlined by Taylor Swift, with the world’s most-streamed artist of the last year to be no longer be accessible to TikTok users from February 1.

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Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Drake completed the top-four, and they are also all signed to Universal companies – which include Republic and Virgin Music.

Those not signed to the label who made the top 10 were Peso Pluma, Feid and Travis Scott.

However, the remaining SZA, KAROL G and Lana Del Rey are all also set to leave the platform.

The streaming giant’s top songs were also dominated by Universal artists, with Miley Cyrus sitting at number one with Flowers.

Harry Styles’ As It Was will also be pulled.

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Other huge artists signed to the company’s labels include some the industry’s biggest names both today and historically.

To name a fraction, they include: The Beatles, Elton John, Ariana Grande, BTS, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Bob Dylan.

And on top of that, many of TikTok’s most popular songs which do not, perhaps, come from the world’s biggest performers will also be axed, such as Murder On The Dance Floor, by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

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How Nadia Khan tried to salvage her first marriage

How Nadia Khan tried to salvage her first marriage

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How Nadia Khan tried to salvage her first marriage

During an interview, Nadia Khan revealed how she remained steadfast for 10 years against all odds to keep relation intact with her first husband. 

Her startling revelations surprised the audience who believe she is really a woman of strong nerves.

Nadia Khan has experienced a tumultuous journey in her personal life, particularly in her first marriage.

In a candid conversation, she revealed that her first marriage was a love marriage. The proposal came as early as their second meeting.

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Nadia revealed: “If I tell you the definition of love marriage according to the 90s, you would laugh.

“My second meeting with him was at our engagement event. I liked him, but there was no dating of any sort.”

However, the relationship turned out to be an unpleasant experience, and she has rarely discussed it.

She said: “If this had not happened, I would not be Nadia Khan today.”

Nadia Khan shared that she knew the marriage was a wrong decision within the first 10 minutes.

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But due to coming from a strict family, she felt pressured to make the marriage work, believing that she had to persevere and make it successful, no matter the cost.

Consequently, she remained in the relationship for 10 years, trying her best to salvage it.

Nadia Khan kept her struggles hidden from her parents throughout this challenging period.

She feared that they would be disappointed in her failure to make the marriage work.

She shouldered the burden alone, not wanting to give up on the relationship.

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However, after a decade of effort, she finally confided in her father about her difficulties.

Her father responded immediately by bringing her back home on the next flight, welcoming her with open arms.

He expressed his support and asked her why she had endured the difficult situation for so long.
She said: “If it is an abusive marriage and you both are torturing each other, what good will that bring?

Nadia Khan has been married twice and has two kids from her first relationship. Her fans were shocked to know the details of her past.

A user wrote: “I have never been able to respect and like Nadia Khan before but she surely is a fighter. It’s good that she got out of it and is now living happily.”

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Another added: “Such a sad and difficult time she has gone through. She is an inspiration for a lot of women.”

One said: “Setting an example for the ladies. You should leave when the relationship becomes abusive. Nadia is very brave for sharing her story on television.”

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Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence

Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence

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Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence

Celebrities who have remained silent on the crisis in Gaza are feeling the wrath of angry fans wielding the “digital guillotine” to block them on social media and streaming platforms.

Taylor Swift, Drake and many more have become targets of the “Block Out 2024” movement, which began on TikTok in response to the perceived disconnect between the glamorous Met Gala and the grim realities of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

For months, pro-Palestinian activists have flooded the comments sections of social media sites, urging stars to join calls for a ceasefire in Gaza’s deadliest war.

But matters came to a head after last week’s Met Gala, a glitzy fundraiser and the biggest night in fashion featuring A-list stars from screen, stage, sports and the world’s runways.

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Dressed in an extravagant gown, influencer Haley Kalil posted on TikTok lip-synching “Let them eat cake” — a phrase notoriously associated with Marie Antoinette that symbolizes the callous disregard of 18th century French aristocrats towards the poor.

Fellow TikToker ladyfromtheoutside, who started the movement, responded: “It’s time for the people to conduct what I want to call a digital guillotine, a digitine, if you will,” referring to the execution apparatus used during the French Revolution.

“Take our views away, our likes, our comments, our money,” she urged.

Her message was taken up as a rallying cry for the pro-Palestinian movement, and early signs suggest the boycott may be having an impact.

Some impact, but for how long?
Reality star Kim Kardashian — who attended the ball in New York — has lost hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers in recent days, according to analytics site Social Blade.

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Global music superstar Taylor Swift, who opted to focus on her Eras Tour rather than appear at the event, has also seen a decline of more than 200,000 followers since last Thursday.

“This is about lives and justice — if she can rally all of us to vote, she has the power to speak up about injustice,” said a TikToker who described herself as a “Palestinian Swiftie” and said it was time to block, unfollow and stop streaming her idol.

It’s uncertain whether the movement is directly responsible for the social media hits seen by some celebrities, or if other trends are at play.

Moreover, the losses could be short-lived, Natasha Lindstaedt, a University of Essex professor who has studied celebrity activism, told AFP.

“Sometimes people make a decision based on an emotional response to an issue and decide that if a celebrity isn’t on the same side… they don’t want to follow them anymore, but that takes a second,” she says.

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This phenomenon is known in academic circles as “slacktivism” — substituting low-stakes online actions like posting memes or liking posts, or choosing to unfollow a favorite star — for meaningful political engagement.

Instead of responding, celebrities might find it wiser to wait out the backlash, especially given the sensitive nature of the Gaza conflict, which has proven perilous for many stars.

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon was dropped by her talent agency UTA after speaking at a pro-Palestine rally in November.

More recently, Jerry Seinfeld, long the model of an apolitical celebrity, has faced criticism for affiliating himself more closely with Israel.

That backlash against the Jewish comedian intensified after a report said his wife Jessica donated to a group of pro-Israel counter-protesters at UCLA, where violence broke out against pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

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She later wrote on Instagram that she supported a peaceful rally days earlier and did not support or contribute to any violent actions.

One-way relationships
According to David Jackson, a professor at Bowling Green State University who has studied how the political positions taken by stars affect their approval ratings, told AFP “there’s a history of celebrity involvement in politics that goes back a hundred years or more in the US.”

But with the advent of social media, it’s become easier for people to develop “parasocial” relationships with stars — essentially one-way connections that feel reciprocal.

“You have your network of people you follow, and some of them are people you know, and some of them are celebrities, and the boundaries, I suppose, can be blurred,” Jackson said.

That false sense of closeness makes the feeling of betrayal all the more acute when celebrities take a position you disapprove of, or don’t take any position at all.

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Even appearing to respond to fan demands can be risky.

When rapper Lizzo promoted a fundraiser to aid a Gazan doctor and his family in leaving the besieged Palestinian territory, she was criticized by many for her perceived opportunism. 

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Hollywood heads to Cannes as off-screen drama soars

Hollywood heads to Cannes as off-screen drama soars

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Hollywood heads to Cannes as off-screen drama soars

 Hollywood stars jetted into Cannes on Tuesday as the world’s most famous film festival gets under way in dramatic circumstances, including a fugitive director’s daring escape from Iran, and a looming cloud of fresh #MeToo allegations.

The festival officially kicks off in the evening with an honorary award for Meryl Streep — just one of a host of international A-listers flocking to the sun-drenched Cote d’Azur, where legendary directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola top the VIP guest list.

Coppola’s decades-in-the-making epic “Megalopolis,” an Ancient Rome-inspired saga set in a corrupt modern-day city, is the most anticipated of this year’s entries for the top prize Palme d’Or.

“Cannes is important to him and he is important to Cannes. He comes as an artist,” said festival head Thierry Fremaux, praising the 85-year-old director of “The Godfather”.

“Megalopolis” is one of 22 films competing for the affections of a jury led by “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig.

Richard Gere will star in Paul Schrader’s “Oh Canada”, recent Oscar winner Emma Stone reunites with Yorgos Lanthimos in “Kinds of Kindness”, and Demi Moore tries her hand at horror in “The Substance”.

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Outside the race for the Palme d’Or, George Miller’s latest “Mad Max” instalment, “Furiosa”, will get its world premiere on Wednesday, while Kevin Costner returns to the Western genre with “Horizon, an American Saga”.

But darker, off-screen plotlines have emerged on the eve of the festival’s 77th edition.

In a last-minute twist, director Mohammad Rasoulof — also competing for the Palme d’Or — announced on Monday he had escaped in secret from Iran, just days after being sentenced to eight years in prison on security offences.

Rasoulof had been under pressure from Iranian authorities to withdraw his latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, from Cannes.

“I am grateful to my friends, acquaintances, and people who kindly, selflessly, and sometimes by risking their lives, helped me get out of the border and reach a safe place on the difficult and long path of this journey,” he wrote on Instagram.

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Rasoulof’s lawyer Babak Paknia told AFP that the director plans to attend the festival for the premiere next week.

‘Festive moment’
Meanwhile, France’s film industry is in the midst of a belated #MeToo reckoning, with a string of accusations against its biggest star, Gerard Depardieu, and rumours in the run-up to Cannes of more accusations to come against high-profile figures.

Actor Judith Godreche, who has accused two directors of assaulting her when she was a teenager, is presenting a short film, “Moi Aussi” (Me Too) aimed at encouraging more women to come forward.

On Monday, nine women accused Alain Sarde, a major French film producer, of having raped or sexually assaulted them.

His lawyer did not respond immediately to the allegations, which were published by ELLE magazine.

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Camille Cottin, star of hit television series “Call My Agent!” and an outspoken feminist, will host this year’s festival.

She said there were a lot of issues she would like to address in her opening speech.

“But it’s also supposed to be a festive moment… and I’ve only got four minutes,” she told AFP.

Adding to the off-screen drama, a group of festival employees have called for a strike over pay and conditions that could cause disruption at the event.

Festival head Fremaux insisted the focus this year will be squarely on the movies.

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“No controversies come from the festival,” he told reporters. “We have taken care to ensure the main reason we’re all here is cinema.”

Trump, Coppola, Stone

Among the other entries for the Palme d’Or is “The Apprentice” — a biopic of Trump’s formative years from Iranian-born director Ali Abbasi. It stars Sebastian Stan, known for playing the Winter Soldier in Marvel films.

And “Emilia Perez” has quite the synopsis: a musical about a Mexican cartel boss undergoing a sex change to escape the authorities, directed by France’s own Golden Palm winner Jacques Audiard. Pop superstar Selena Gomez appears in a supporting role.

But the hot ticket is undoubtedly Coppola’s “Megalopolis”, starring Adam Driver, on Thursday.

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There is a growing anticipation over whether the veteran director — who self-funded the lavish epic — can match his masterpieces of the 1970s, when he twice won the Palme d’Or for “Apocalypse Now” and “The Conversation”.

Film fans are also excited for new works from body-horror maestro David Cronenberg (“The Shrouds”), Italy’s Paolo Sorrentino (“Parthenope”) and Oliver Stone (“Lula”, a documentary about Brazil’s president).

Playing out of competition is “She’s Got No Name”, one of China’s biggest-ever productions, which features megastar Ziyi Zhang tackling the highly sensitive topic of women’s rights.

Legendary Japanese animators Studio Ghibli — makers of “Spirited Away”, “My Neighbour Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” — will receive an honorary Palme d’Or, the first offered to a group.

And the festival will round off on May 25 with a final honorary award for “Star Wars” creator George Lucas. 

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