Why I Removed My Content From TikTok & Spotify (The Truth About Ownership)

We are cheating ourselves out of our own intellectual property. In this raw livestream replay, I explain why I am officially pulling back from TikTok and Spotify. After a deep audit of my business and a disturbing look at the new Terms of Service for both platforms, the reality is clear: these apps are no longer just hosting our content—they are claiming ownership of it. From TikTok's ability to sell your likeness to third parties without paying you, to Spotify training their AI on your voice and music, the game has changed. This episode breaks down the predatory nature of these agreements, the "digital sharecropping" of the modern era, and why independent ownership is the only way forward. In this episode, we discuss: The Audit: Why looking at the backend data forced a hard pivot for Broken Traditions and Wins + Lessons. The "Shawn Haynes" Realization: Why trading your intellectual property for fractions of a penny is disrespectful to the art. TikTok's New Terms: How they can sublicense your content, use your face for ads, and own a "worldwide, royalty-free" license to everything you post. The "Nike" Scenario: A breakdown of how a brand could use my son's music in a commercial without paying them a dime. The Wi-Fi Ban: The bizarre reason why I can't even upload to TikTok anymore (and why it could happen to you). The Spotify Trap: Why uploading your podcast or music is essentially signing a bad record deal without a lawyer. AI Training: The scary reality that your creative output is being used to train the machines that will replace you.