This lip-syncing app is taking over the music industry and changing the way labels market music for years to come.
TikTok is a social media platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. This app allows users to post short videos under three minutes with music or other audio in the background. Users take this short timeframe to express themselves through lip-syncing, dance or short skits. So how did this fun and casual platform become the new powerhouse in music marketing?
One of the earliest examples that made the industry notice the opportunities TikTok can create came in the form of “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X. The song became one of the most popular of all-time, going fourteen times platinum, making it the largest multi-platinum song ever. This success is not just for new songs, though! Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” also gained popularity, reentering the charts over forty years after its release after a video with the song in the background went viral on the social media platform.
Once labels recognized the success that could be achieved through this app, they started developing marketing strategies around the explosive new world. Many labels now have staff monitoring their entire discography on the app daily! This is a huge turnaround from the days of watching the success through the charts.
These record labels also partner with influencers on TikTok to promote their music. The companies will target smaller influencers to make a series of different videos. They are allowed to choose what content they want to post as long as it includes the track. Once certain videos seem to be doing better than others, the label will take these ideas and pass them on to larger influencers. The larger influencers then get hired to make the same type of content to allow the track to reach a larger audience. Often, the last step doesn’t even need to be paid for as larger influencers tend to follow what is popular on the app and will create the content with no payment needed.
While TikTok is often used as an app that just helps pass the time, it has been making serious waves in the music industry. Sometimes songs are purposefully marketed to you, and other times a short clip of someone dancing can accidentally launch a musician’s career. Next time you are endlessly scrolling to pass the time, maybe pay attention to that background music. You might just find your new favorite song!
