OPINION & BUSINESS: TIKTOK’S IMPACT ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY; FAD OR FUTURE?
“I got my head out the sunroof…I might, I might kill my ex, not the best idea…Why don’t you say so, didn’t even notice…”
Did I catch you humming along to these phrases? Maybe you didn’t notice, but for anyone who used TikTok on a regular basis, these were the quintessential trending songs from the past 3 to 4 years that were deeply engraved into our memory. TikTok, also known as Douyin, was a video-sharing app that allowed users to share videos that could range anywhere from 3 seconds to 10 minutes. The captivating yet addictive aspect of the app came from the idea that anyone could go viral, regardless of their following. This enticed users to post as many videos as possible, which in turn produced billions of videos for the world to watch for several hours at a time. The TikToks that went viral were typically under a trending sound or a short song clip.
Luckily for the artists, the popularity of these videos did not go to waste. According to music industry analyst Tatiana Cirisano, TikTok users were more likely to spend money on music. 40% of active TikTok users paid a monthly subscription for music compared to 25% of the general population, and 17% bought artist merchandise monthly compared to 9% of the general population. These types of users on TikTok engaged in more “lean-forward” activities, rather than passively listening to music. This allowed artists to drive traffic towards other sources such as Spotify and the sale of personalized products.
Due to the speed and fervor at which the songs were popularized, many songs trending on TikTok ended up charting on the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50. For many popular and rising artists, this randomized algorithm was the perfect platform for marketing their songs. Because the app was centered around user-generated content, artists could get creative in promoting their songs, and started new trends to gain interactions with their music. For example, pop artist Charlie Puth began a trend by starting off each video of an upcoming song with “what if there was a song that started off like…” followed by unconventionally random sounds, instrumentals, and vocals, which all came together at the end. This trend was very effective for Puth as his followers became accustomed to the phrase, building anticipation of a new song each time he posted his signature Tiktok. He made the trend his own, and users began to create their own versions by lip-syncing, dancing, or singing to it–all forms of increasing engagement. When the time came for the song to be released, he had millions of fans waiting to listen to the completed version, which gave him a significant boost in the initial number of streams.
For independent artists, this algorithm could be both rewarding and stressful. Because they had to do most of the work on their own, they had to constantly think of ideas to promote their music and hope that it would organically blow up. In addition, because of the fleeting nature of trends, it was easy for smaller artists to be forgotten after a one-hit-wonder. TikTok was constantly evolving and new topics were the center of attention nearly every week, making it important for artists to stay on top of the trends and create as many videos as possible to boost their music. This could often lead to burnout and anxiety due to the uncertainty of their TikToks’ performance. Nonetheless, many Gen Z listeners were always on the lookout for new music and were generally more likely to support rising artists over established artists.
As an avid TikTok user and music-lover myself, I have discovered amazing small artists on TikTok that I would not have been able to find anywhere else. I personally found the concept of trends unproductive, as they were short-lived and easily forgotten. However, I could now understand how crucial they were for artists because it allowed them to come out from the underground and gave them the possibility to go mainstream. Gen Z users have made a massive impact on the way that music was interacted with, and it was fascinating to see how much of an impact they had on artists through the personalization of songs by creating their own clips. TikTok truly has changed the way music is listened to and marketed. As the name suggests, time is ticking and tocking as trends and artists grow on its platform.
Written by Rachel Mun
Spread Designed by Ellie Kwon
Sources Used:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-tiktok-is-changing-the-music-industry-marketing-discovery-2021-7