How TikTok Has Become the Music Industry's Greatest Asset
TikTok has literally taken over the world, and consequently, all of my free time.
But I’m not the only one who feels this way, as there are plenty of testimonies about how TikTok is addicting and has caused many of us to waste hours of our lives watching the 15-90 second videos. Vine reincarnated? Oh no, it’s reach has been far more impactful on society.
TikTok was bought out by Chinese behemoth, ByteDance, a company worth billions and billions of dollars. According to a Forbes article, TikTok already had quite a few users before the app merged with the popular lip-syncing app, Musical.ly, in August of 2018. “The deal was part of an acquisition allegedly worth up to $1 billion”. Now, TikTok has amassed billions of users from across the world, and after being acquired by ByteDance, they now have access to far more resources that they can use to improve users’ experience and their reach.
While there are many, many different aspects of the app to analyze, today we’re going to be discussing how TikTok has single-handedly become the music industry’s greatest asset. Think about how many great songs you’ve found via the app, would you have found these songs or these musicians without some help? Doubtful.
So, how does it all work?
Naturally, TikTok’s algorithm pushes certain videos on their users. Though they don’t push just what is popular at that current moment, they also push videos that are less popular and have less views. Also predictable, TikTok is heavily dependent and reliant on views. The more it is viewed, the more it will be recommended to others.
Interestingly enough, however, according to a Rolling Stone article written by Elias Leight, “Views do not impact royalty payouts to music groups, though. “Royalties get paid through posts — every single new creation that occurs, that’s the amount that gets paid out to the rights holders...It doesn’t matter if a post gets a million views or not.” This is also, presumably, helpful for spreading music to new users, rather than just concentrating it among users with the most followers.”
Royalties are paid on a flat rate basis based upon how many videos are posted using the song, regardless of the amount of views on said video. While this may seem counterintuitive at first glance, it actually is more beneficial for getting more recognition for the music and the artists. Naturally, yes, the more popular TikTok accounts will have more influence and reach over its followers, but by paying royalties on a flat rate basis, there is more of a chance for the artists to get the money that they deserve for their music.
While TikTok has a knack for hyping up pop songs that would have already gained fame and traction with listeners ― see: Camila Cabello’s “My Oh My” featuring DaBaby, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”, and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” ― it has also popularized indie artists who would have had to struggle a hell of a lot more to get their music heard by a large audience.
Arizona Zervas is an excellent example of this. A 24 year old rising rapper from Maryland, Zervas’ song “Roxanne” gained popularity on the app after being used by popular influencers such as 15 year old Charli D’Amelio. “Roxanne” is still hanging on the 6th spot on the Billboard Top 100 Chart and was added to Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” and “Pop Rising” playlists on their app, furthering the song’s reach. Consequently, Zervas was even landed a record deal and signed to Columbia Records.
Lastly, let’s talk about BENEE, a 20 year old singer from New Zealand. While she is probably best known for her 2019 single, “Glitter”, which peaked at number 3 on the New Zealand singles chart and was certified platinum, BENEE has gained popularity within the United States for her song, “Supalonely” featuring Gus Dapperton. Via TikTok and a dance, whose creator I have not been able to find, BENEE’s song has risen to number 33 on the US Spotify streaming charts, and has broken the Top 100 on iTunes, sitting at 98. Both of which are incredibly impressive for an artist who is really just starting out.
But I’m not the only one who feels this way, as there are plenty of testimonies about how TikTok is addicting and has caused many of us to waste hours of our lives watching the 15-90 second videos. Vine reincarnated? Oh no, it’s reach has been far more impactful on society.
TikTok was bought out by Chinese behemoth, ByteDance, a company worth billions and billions of dollars. According to a Forbes article, TikTok already had quite a few users before the app merged with the popular lip-syncing app, Musical.ly, in August of 2018. “The deal was part of an acquisition allegedly worth up to $1 billion”. Now, TikTok has amassed billions of users from across the world, and after being acquired by ByteDance, they now have access to far more resources that they can use to improve users’ experience and their reach.
While there are many, many different aspects of the app to analyze, today we’re going to be discussing how TikTok has single-handedly become the music industry’s greatest asset. Think about how many great songs you’ve found via the app, would you have found these songs or these musicians without some help? Doubtful.
So, how does it all work?
Naturally, TikTok’s algorithm pushes certain videos on their users. Though they don’t push just what is popular at that current moment, they also push videos that are less popular and have less views. Also predictable, TikTok is heavily dependent and reliant on views. The more it is viewed, the more it will be recommended to others.
Interestingly enough, however, according to a Rolling Stone article written by Elias Leight, “Views do not impact royalty payouts to music groups, though. “Royalties get paid through posts — every single new creation that occurs, that’s the amount that gets paid out to the rights holders...It doesn’t matter if a post gets a million views or not.” This is also, presumably, helpful for spreading music to new users, rather than just concentrating it among users with the most followers.”
Royalties are paid on a flat rate basis based upon how many videos are posted using the song, regardless of the amount of views on said video. While this may seem counterintuitive at first glance, it actually is more beneficial for getting more recognition for the music and the artists. Naturally, yes, the more popular TikTok accounts will have more influence and reach over its followers, but by paying royalties on a flat rate basis, there is more of a chance for the artists to get the money that they deserve for their music.
While TikTok has a knack for hyping up pop songs that would have already gained fame and traction with listeners ― see: Camila Cabello’s “My Oh My” featuring DaBaby, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”, and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” ― it has also popularized indie artists who would have had to struggle a hell of a lot more to get their music heard by a large audience.
Arizona Zervas is an excellent example of this. A 24 year old rising rapper from Maryland, Zervas’ song “Roxanne” gained popularity on the app after being used by popular influencers such as 15 year old Charli D’Amelio. “Roxanne” is still hanging on the 6th spot on the Billboard Top 100 Chart and was added to Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” and “Pop Rising” playlists on their app, furthering the song’s reach. Consequently, Zervas was even landed a record deal and signed to Columbia Records.
Via @arizonazervas on Instagram
Another artist who has gained immense popularity via the app is Doja Cat. Doja Cat, a 24 year old rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer had moderate success with her music in 2018 and 2019, but after releasing her second studio album, Hot Pink, the song “Say So” was picked up by the TikTok algorithm and exploded across the app. So far, “Say So” has peaked at 16 on the Billboard Top 100, making it Doja Cat’s first ever Top 20 hit, and in the music video, she even included the TikToker that created the dance to her song. Life really comes full circle.
Doja Cat's Hot Pink album cover, via @dojacat on Instagram
Via @beneemusic on Instagram
Has TikTok taken over the world? Absolutely, but I don't mind, so long as the app keeps supplying me with good music.
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