Universal Music Group (UMG) has reversed its decision to stop making artists’ music available on TikTok, giving a boost to unknown music creators on the platform.
Sunday 5 May 2024 06:07 UK
You may have noticed a rare German-language rap song playing in the background of a growing number of videos on your TikTok feed.
But what exactly is it, and how did it spread so quickly?
What is a Barbara Rhubarb Bar?
The song, which sounds like a rap, is actually a German tongue twister written by musical comedian Bodo Waltke and his friend, content creator Marti Fischer.
Last December, the two posted a two-part video of themselves reciting the rhyme, titled “Barbaras Rhabarberbar.”
It begins: “In a small village lived a girl named Barbara. Barbara was known in the area for her wonderful rhubarb pies.
“We called her Rhubarb Barbara because everyone loved eating Barbara’s rhubarb pie so much.”
The rhyme further explains that Barbara realized she could monetize her famous rhubarb pie and founded “Barbara Rhubarb Bar” to sell it to customers.
The tongue twister becomes more complex, stating that “three savages” with “beards” “went to the barber’s.”
As a final alliteration, the bearded savages who went to the barbershop liked to drink beer while eating Barbara’s rhubarb pie at Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar.
Where did dance come from?
In late March, two young Australian theater artists named Stephanie and Christina… tick tock They are seen dancing to Waldke and Fischer’s rap in a public restroom.
The original version still has over 1 million likes on the app, mostly from German speakers, but the girls’ choreography quickly racked up over 15 million likes worldwide. !” was obtained.
They recorded the next version in the same bathroom, this time in civilian clothes instead of costumes. They were forced to clarify that they were the same pair as in the original dance clip.
Stephanie wrote in a follow-up post: “We are theater kids so we looked like this. We did this 30 minutes before the show.
“I appreciate people who message me and say, ‘I stole your dance and we went to the same bathroom,’ but I assure you it’s okay because we’re actually the same person.”
Surprised by the success of their routine, they went on to record subsequent versions for TikTok, but U.S.-based influencers Austin and Marides Terenko (@cost_n_mayor) and actor and content creator Casey Stroh noticed the trend and recorded their own version.
With each racking up millions of views, the Barbara Rhubarb phenomenon came full circle, and in late April, Waltke and Fischer posted pictures of themselves doing the Stephanie and Christina dance.
Alongside the clip, Waltke wrote: “Thank you @steph_who___ and @stasii777 for coming up with such amazing choreography for our song. And to all the people around the world who are dancing to this song. Thank you to everyone, especially @Cost_n_Mayor and @KayCee_Stroh for making this song a worldwide phenomenon!
“@Marti_Fischer and I are already working on the sequel…!”
How did an unknown song become so popular?
It’s entirely possible for an unknown song to become a huge hit on TikTok, but recent developments on the app may have given a boost to lesser-known content creators.
In late January, Universal Music Group (UMG) decided not to renew its contract with TikTok over concerns that artists were not being compensated for widespread use of their songs on the platform.
UMG is one of the world’s largest music companies, owning the rights to songs by Adele, Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan, and countless other famous artists.
The group said TikTok is “trying to build a music-based business without paying a fair price for music” and that by “flooding” its site with AI-generated recordings, it is effectively “replacing artists through AI.” He accused them of “sponsoring.”
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Taylor Swift signed a deal with UMG in 2018, facilitating her now-famous decision to re-record her albums in order to gain more rights.
Following a dispute between UMG and TikTok, Swift’s song disappeared from the platform for 10 weeks, but resurfaced last month.
this week, UMG reversed the decision An agreement was reached that all artists’ songs will be back on the app within the next two weeks.
So, while during the controversy users were able to choose well-known artists for their TikTok soundtracks, UMG’s decision created a vacuum that allowed lesser-known artists to participate.
TikTok too facing a ban in the US After the Senate passed legislation requiring Chinese owner ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within nine months.
If this does not happen, the US could follow India’s lead and outlaw the platform entirely.
