As ‘TikTok USA’ Remains in Limbo, Layoffs Hit TikTok Music

Photo Credit: Olivier Bergeron

Around 15 employees in US and Latin American roles in TikTok’s music department have been let go. More are expected to be let go in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, October 22, approximately 15 TikTok employees in the U.S. and Latin America were told their positions at the company’s music unit were terminated. Sources say more team members at TikTok in other parts of the world, namely the UK, are expected to be laid off in the coming weeks.

This development marks the first round of significant layoffs at TikTok’s music unit since 2023, when seven U.S.-based employees on the artist services team were cut. Those cuts came just a month after the company announced its TikTok Music streaming platform in several markets—but that service wound down the following year as the company pivoted its focus to its “Add to Music” functionality.

The news comes as uncertainty mounts surrounding the future of TikTok in the U.S. The so-called deal the Trump administration has promised with parent company ByteDance and the Chinese government has taken a backseat in the face of Trump’s ongoing trade war with China. But it’s worth noting that China never acknowledged the Trump administration’s deal was even on the table.

Sources say that TikTok plans to focus on current artist and festival partnerships for now, while a number of roles in music-related partnerships and programming have been eliminated.

Employees remaining on the music team after the recent layoffs, according to sources, include Global Head of Music Business Development Tracy Gardner; Artist Partnerships Lead Rachel Dunham; Label Partnerships Director Kat Kernaghan; Global Head of Music Publishing Licensing and Partnership Jordan Lowy; Manager, Music Publishing and Partnerships Emily Mitchell; and Music Partnerships Americas, Australia, New Zealand Graham Pierce.

Notably, Gardner took over the Global Head of Music Business Development role six months ago, following the exit of Ole Obermann, who is now the co-head of Apple Music. Gardner’s team is thus far unaffected by the layoffs.