DOI https://doi.org/10.51191/issn.2637-1898.2022.5.8.60
Yvonne Ile
Institute of Contemporary Music Performance/University of West London, London, United Kingdom
Author’s contact information: missyvonneile@gmail.com
INSAM Journal of Contemporary Music, Art and Technology, Issue 8, 2022
Main Theme of the Issue: Fighting for the Attention: Music and Art on Social Media
Publisher: INSAM Institute for Contemporary Artistic Music, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Section: THE MAIN THEME
Abstract: Between June and July 2021, a number of Black creators banded together on TikTok and withheld from creating content – they went on strike. This sudden protest came after outcries from Black creators, who claimed that they created many of the viral dances on the platform, whilst their white counterparts received the accolades. I propose that this strike is a result of underlying bias, antagonisms and an unresolved history of musical and artistic plagiarism from Black creators. Inspired by how race is presented in the media and focusing on novel media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, I assert that creative works by Black creators and subsequently their ownership, use and replication, need to be studied within popular culture.
Keywords: cultural appropriation, Internet, artistic plagiarism, social media, expression, TikTok, Black music, Black creators, Black TikTok, Black TikTok Strike.

The Journal is indexed in:
DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journal
CEEOL – Central and Eastern European Online Library
RILM – Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale
