There has been a gigantic leadership shakeup in TikTok/ByteDance‘s music team.
After five and a half years as Global Head of Music Business Development at ByteDance, Ole Obermann will be leaving the company next month for a new opportunity, still in music.
Following Obermann’s departure at the end of March, Tracy Gardner will be the new Global Head of Music Business Development at ByteDance.
In an internal note sent to TikTok staffers today (February 18), and obtained by MBW, Obermann said: “I am proud to have played a role in bringing so many people the joy of music while at TikTok”. He added: “We have an amazing team and leadership and music will continue to thrive and evolve on TikTok.”
The big question the global music business will be asking today is: Where will Obermann be headed after he leaves the company next month?
TikTok has declined to comment, but our sources tell us that he has lined up a big role at Apple Music, which likely has a business development element to it.
TikTok’s new Global Head of Music Business Development, Tracy Gardner joined the platform and its parent company ByteDance in November 2019, as Head of Label Licensing and partnerships.
The exec was previously Senior Vice President, Global Business Development and Strategy at Warner Music Group.
News of Gardner’s appointment at TikTok at the end of 2019 arrived shortly after the confirmation that Obermann had officially joined the platform as Vice President, Global Head of Music.
It was later confirmed that Obermann’s role had expanded to become Global Head of Music Business Development and IP at ByteDance.
Prior to joining TikTok/ByteDance, Obermann previously served in various senior digital roles at Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.
Meanwhile, at TikTok, the platform claims to have “strengthened its position as the world’s leading music discovery platform” under Ole Obermann’s leadership.
The platform reports that its global reach has grown to over 170 billion daily video views of licensed music, and that in 2023, its users generated over 45 billion video creations using licensed music. TikTok claims that these metrics make it the platform with “the largest engagement with music worldwide“.
A key event during Obermann’s tenure at TikTok was the return of Universal Music Group‘s recorded music and publishing catalogs to the platform after a licensing dispute resulted in UMG pulling its music from TikTok in January/February last year.
Universal and TikTok struck a new licensing deal in May 2024, including “improved remuneration” for UMG artists and songwriters, as well as a commitment to develop AI tools responsibly.
Obermann is also credited with closing what TikTok describes as “a first-of-its-kind artist deal with Taylor Swift” to feature her catalog on TikTok in support of her record-breaking Eras Tour and The Tortured Poets Department album release.
TikTok has also partnered with various other superstar artists in recent months, including Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Jimin of BTS, and Post Malone. Under Obermann’s leadership, the platform has also supported a number of emerging artists, including Tate McRae, Tyla, and Benson Boone.
The Add To Music App feature was also launched during Obermann’s tenure. According to TikTok, Add To Music App has already resulted in over a billion track saves and streams on its partner DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and Melon).
You can read Ole Obermann’s internal note in full below:
Music is one of life’s greatest joys, and TikTok made it possible for fans to connect with their favorite songs and artists in a way that was never possible in the past. TikTok unlocked new and creative ways for people to engage with music, which means that songs – both new and old – were discovered and shared and found new audiences like never before.
I think that the best way for me to say goodbye is to recap my five and a half years at TikTok through the music that has moved me and our billion users over the years.
- I joined TikTok in 2019. TikTok’s prominence in the music industry really started that year as Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road‘ became a global phenomenon.
- In 2020 we were seeing incredible growth. 176 songs reached 1 billion video views in 2020. A song I grew up on, ‘Dreams‘ by Fleetwood Mac, had a major moment on TikTok.
- In 2021 dance tutorials were the thing. Pascal Leboutlin’s ‘Friendships‘ – which achieved more than 2 billion views – became synonymous with moonwalk and shuffle tutorials.
- In 2022 The Anxiety’s ‘Caught A Vibe‘ became a smash hit but it was the audio from a live alternate version on TikTok that made the song famous.
- In 2023 UK’s Raye became a superstar on TikTok with Escapism. And Tube Girl became a superstar to Raye’s track ‘Prada‘.
- 2024 was the Year of the Brat and the Dare, a year when Charli xcx unequivocally dominated popular culture
- 2025: It’s early days, but Messy by Lola Young is leading the race to be the song of the year so far….
We leave behind what is woven into the lives of others. I am proud to have played a role in bringing so many people the joy of music while at TikTok. We have an amazing team and leadership and music will continue to thrive and evolve on TikTok.
Thank you everyone for your support and wishing you all continued success at TikTok.
Music Business Worldwide
