TikTok has become a popular platform for discovering new music.
Record labels, music marketers, artists and other creators flood the app with songs.
Here’s a full breakdown of Insider’s recent coverage of TikTok’s impact on the music industry.
TikTok is a must-have promotional tool for music artists and record labels.
Songs can rise organically in the app even if they’ve been outside of the mainstream for decades. Marketers can also hire influencers to help a song take off and spark a wave of user-generated contributions from their fans. And some artists are even hosting private listening sessions with TikTok influencers in hopes that this will help new songs gain momentum on the app.
The company has a global team that works with artists and more.
“TikTok has really become a crucial part of artist storytelling,” Kristen Bender, SVP of Digital Strategy and Business Development at Universal Music Group, told Insider during a webinar on TikTok’s impact on the music industry. “Our labels have been extremely adapted to the platform.”
Watch a full replay of Insider’s webinar on TikTok’s impact on the music industry, featuring executives from TikTok, Universal Music Group and UnitedMasters
For some, the hyper focus on TikTok can be exhausting. Artists like Halsey and Charli XCX have recently posted videos expressing frustration at being asked by their labels to create TikToks. One artist, artist Taylor Upsahl, told Insider it can be “really stressful” being expected to balance climbing the social ladder with touring and writing and recording new music.
But the industry attention to TikTok is not unfounded. Songs that are trending on TikTok often end up on the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50. And 67% of the app’s users are more likely to search for songs on Music.
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Services after listening to them on TikTok, according to a November study conducted for TikTok by music analytics firm MRC Data.
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TikTok has become a hub for labels to promote both new releases and back catalog tracks. And a new cohort of social media music marketers has sprung up to help promote the app.
Check out Insider’s Power List of 23 music marketers, artists, digital creators, record labels, and other industry insiders using TikTok to define popular music.
Pay creators to promote songs on TikTok
Song promotion deals between music marketers and influencers have become a major revenue stream for TikTok creators. Some users can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a single video promoting an artist’s title.
“Music marketing on TikTok is huge,” Jesse Callahan, founder of burgeoning marketing firm Montford Agency, told Insider. “Labels have been great at putting artists in the spotlight over the past few years. It’s also a great way creators have made big bucks.”
Read about different song promo prices for TikTok creators who have a few hundred thousand followers or up to 10 million fans
Hiring micro-influencers for song campaigns
As TikTok’s user base has grown and content has become more saturated, marketers are turning to micro-influencers rather than superstars for song campaigns.
“The price for megastars is extremely high,” Zach Friedman, co-founder of burgeoning record label Homemade Projects, told Insider. “The way the TikTok algorithm works, it’s hard to know what will be successful. Instead of paying a premium for a D’Amelio, you could pay a micro-influencer $200 and their TikTok could get 10 million views. Off that’s why it’s better to cast a wider net.”
