TikTok Lessons Part 1: To TikTok, Or Not To TikTok, That Is The Question
Greetings fellow music professionals. My name is Liam Cassel, aka Will Hilburn. I am a musician from the midwest United States, and I have been playing guitar since I was a teenager. My passion for music has led me on many adventures over the years, the most recent being the pursuit of a master’s degree in digital marketing. I am a DIYer through and through, and this latest stage of my music career has shifted towards gaining a deeper understanding of digital marketing strategies, including social media marketing, website development, crowdfunding, and the orchestration of all of these elements into a greater whole. This blog series is being written as just one part of my overall final project for the program. I am just three classes away from graduation, and I couldn’t be more excited about my future. I want to thank you for joining me on this adventure into the world of digital marketing and the modern music industry.
This blog entry is the first in a series of four blogs that focuses specifically on the topic of TikTok marketing, and the music industry. My aim in this series is to educate readers on the relationship between the three primary parties in this paradigm: the artist, the social media platform, and the greater music industry. To be more specific, in this first blog entry, I will be discussing two possible pathways for music artists that will lead them to successful music marketing on TikTok. In the second portion of this blog series I will be focusing upon specific strategies that might be adopted by music artists who are striving to find success on TikTok, and the music industry as a whole. The strategies I will be discussing in this second blog entry will be dedicated to the creation and editing of the music itself, in order to best fit into the platform’s existing set of parameters and user preferences. The third blog in this series will be focused on content strategies and community building on the platform. In this blog, I will be offering useful tips that will assist you in finding and growing your tribe on TikTok. Finally, in blog four of this series, I will be lending my professional insights into the modern dynamic of the modern music industry. Much of this final entry will be focused on the “TikTok to Spotify pipeline”, a reference to the relationship between TikTok virality and listener counts on Spotify (Radovanović, 63). In addition, this blog will discuss how artists can leverage their success on TikTok and Spotify in order to better negotiate potential contracts with record labels. In the closing remarks of this final blog, I will also highlight the importance of creating sustainable practices for balancing mental health and the demands of the modern social media marketing machine.
In preparation for this set of writings, I have read several peer-reviewed academic journals, countless pop culture and news articles, and have consumed a number of videos on the topic of TikTok marketing and the music industry. During this process, I have learned a great deal of information on the topic, and will now begin to share it with you.
First of all, it comes as no surprise, to many, that TikTok has grown nearly exponentially in popularity over the past few years. Noted “…as one of the top 10 most downloaded apps in the last decade…”, this growth has gone from niche to mainstream at a record pace (Radovanović 52). Amidst this growth curve, the app has all but uprooted traditional models of music marketing and has disrupted the status quo of the music industry. In terms of the standard model for discovering new talent, and the dynamic between new artists and established record labels, the old ways are crumbling and new paths are being forged, one brick at a time, and at an extraordinary pace.
What this means for independent and DIY music artists, is that the ball is now in your court. In this new model, the artists have much more power to launch, and sustain their own careers within the music industry. So where does this power now reside, exactly? In the power of community. Specifically, online community. And even more specifically, a significant portion of the power lies in the hands of one social media platform: TikTok. Does that seem like a big stretch of the imagination for you? Well, if so, you are not alone. Many people do not even realize just how important TikTok is to the music industry. So for the purposes of placing everyone on an even playing field, check out this statistic: “13 out of the 14 number one songs in the US in 2022 were driven by viral trends on TikTok” (Stassen).
From Music Business Worldwide
So what exactly does this mean for the modern music artist? Well, it really means one thing, the app must not be ignored. Whether you are interested in joining the community or not, as aspiring music artists, we must consider ways of leveraging this new dynamic between TikTok virality and success within the music industry. As mentioned in the Radovanović article, and music marketing firm Burstimo, there are essentially two ways for an artist to look at TikTok. The first model is geared towards artists who are not interested in joining the TikTok community, and the second model is for the complete DIYer who is ready to join the TikTok community and get to work marketing their music and personal brand. It is important to note that neither of these two models involves ignoring the platform altogether. Instead, according to these sources, modern artists must, at least, take part in some kind of relationship with TikTok (Radovanović 62). As music artists, we must consider which of these two paths most align with our goals and personal situations. In the following two sections I will discuss, at length, the details of both of these pathways.
Strategy 1: Get Your Music In The TikTok Music Library
Regardless of whether you are interested in joining the TikTok community as a user, and or a content creator, it is important to consider the possibility of, at least, making your existing and future music releases available on the TikTok music library. What is the TikTok music library? Well, essentially, it is a crucial tool within the TikTok community’s toolbox. “The TikTok Commercial Music Library…is a global music library of 1 million songs that…includes all styles, genres, and regions, with songs sourced from independent and emerging artists, as well as top-tier music houses…” (TikTok).
This is basically the soundtrack to the TikTok community’s experience, and according to Radovanović, “The sound has become a currency on TikTok, a driving force and a shape holder for the communication of trends, memes, challenges, group belonging, and setting new pathways in music” (Radovanović, 69). For these reasons, I would encourage you to look into digital music distribution services that can distribute your music to the TikTok music library.
It is not as simple as uploading your music to the TikTok platform. When considering this relationship, it might be beneficial to look at TikTok as a music outlet, similar to Spotify and Apple Music, instead of a social media platform. For this purpose music artists will need to partner with a digital music distribution company, aka aggregator. Similar to old models of brick-and-mortar distribution chains, this modern version of distribution focuses on the distribution of music to digital service providers, or DSPs. The model looks something like this:
There are a number of aggregators to consider, each of them offers their own set of pros and cons. I recommend that you research each of them to find the one that most aligns with your goals and circumstances. I will be providing more information on aggregators and DSPs in a future blog, but not as a part of this blog series.
In concluding this possible pathway, I would like to once again outline the dynamic of this option. If you do not wish to become an active member of the TikTok community, you can, at least, get your music onto the platform’s music library. In doing so, users, content creators, influencers, and businesses will have the option to utilize your music in their content. From this dynamic, your music may be exposed to millions of potential fans, and will also generate some revenue for you via your aggregator. All in all, this is a fairly simple step you can take towards finding success in the music industry.
Note: even if you are not interested in becoming a TikToker, you should keep reading. I will be providing tips for creating new music that is tailored for the platform, and/or editing your existing catalog in such a manner that will be best suited for the platform’s constraints and tendencies.
Strategy 2: Become A Part Of The Community
So, you’re all in. More than simply placing your music into the TikTok library, you wish to dive in and become a part of the community in order to market your music, and have a little fun. Well, hint-hint, in my opinion this is a really good idea. This pathway presents many more opportunities than the previous path, however, it will require a significant amount of work on your part. However, I truly believe, the potential for success is significantly greater, and well worth your efforts. There is a lot to be discussed regarding the process of building a community on TikTok, around your music and personal brand, therefor I will be discussing, at length, the topic of community building in blog #3 of this series.
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