October 5, 2023
When I arrive home after a long day of school or work, I like to unwind. Some may read a book or spend time with loved ones. I enjoy scrolling on TikTok.
I often discover new artists through the addictive app such as Tai Verdes, singer of “Stuck In The Middle” and “DRUGS.” While older genres that got lost in the rise of pop music, such as alternative metal and midwest emo, are taking the app by storm.
Personally, my TikTok’s For You Page is full of smaller independent artists; That is who I typically like to follow. Though, it got me wondering what other For You Pages look like. My friends’ are full of dances to pop songs and cat videos– both wonderful things.
But, how much does TikTok actually use their powerful social media presence to promote small artists?
According to a study conducted in 2021 through MRC Data, a music-analytics company, 67% of TikTok’s users are more likely to search for songs on other music streaming platforms after hearing them on the app.
While this statistic provides a positive connotation for the app, more evidence shows the opposite.
Graphic of 1,000 viral TikTok songs of 2021. Photo from The Pudding
Looking closer at some data published by The Pudding, out of the 1,000 viral TikTok songs in 2021, only 125 of them were by artists who had yet to make their big break. This is only 12.5% of the viral songs with over 100,000 posts. But, with 1.7 billion watchers, TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t have the best track record for promoting small artists.
However, the TikTok algorithm is a beast of its own.
According to this article posted by the New York Times, TikTok uses two types of data to create a personalized experience for every user. They focus on the retention and time spent to curate an addicting experience.
Basically, TikTok holds the power to dictate what its billions of users are watching.
So, while TikTok gives a leg up to popular artists through the algorithm, why can’t smaller artists be promoted equally?
Data shows that there is no shortage of money on TikTok’s side. In 2023 alone the app had a 17% increase of users, making a total of 1.7 billion watchers, according to a study on TikTok revenue and usage statistics. And, this quarter, TikTok has earned its most money at $3.3 billion.
Graph of TikTok’s quarterly revenues from 2017-2023. Photo from this study
TikTok, with its billions of dollars and unlimited tampering of the algorithm, still proves to be unhelpful to small artists.
Business Insider published this article, where they expose TikTok’s editorial staff for aiding Taylor Swift. The staff overrode TikTok’s algorithm to boost views for Taylor Swift when she first joined the app. TikTok’s staff also holds the power to dictate the suggested sounds when creating videos, according to the Business Insider article.
With more exposure comes more responsibility to appeal to the public. Fans demand personal content from artists and TikTok is a perfect platform to engage with. This creates more pressure on the artist to make a lovable public image.
“It’s just a hugely demanding thing for artists, in addition to everything else that they’re already doing,” stated Tatiana Cirisano, a music industry analyst and consultant at Midia Research, in an interview with CNBC.
These popular artists are able to assign teams to manage their social media. In the long run, it doesn’t phase them too much.
What I’m trying to get at here, is that TikTok is not using its presence as it should. TikTok promotes itself as an app for everyone. The more you watch, the more it’s tailored to you. But, as evidence shows, they have broken that ideal several times. TikTok has a history of promoting already popular songs and artists, compared to promoting smaller, independent ones.
Sure, TikTok is a great tool for smaller artists to gain attention. Though, it comes at the cost of battling the algorithm, celebrities, rising trends and popular music genres.
TikTok can certainly do better to aid small artists.
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