Words by Natasha Djanogly
Whether it’s TikTok-obsessed friends hitting the 5-hour-a-day mark or elderly relatives spamming group chats with delicious-looking recipe videos, TikTok content is everywhere. Powered by its billion users worldwide, TikTok, which first skyrocketed during the pandemic, has gone on a global takeover. Of all the industries impacted by the app, music has been one of the most affected. According to the app, a shocking 84% of 2024 Billboard’s Global 200 chart songs went viral on TikTok first.
From 15-second videos of pandas falling to aesthetic morning routines to silly dance challenges, TikTok inspires virality like no other social network and since, according to Pex, 85% of these videos contain music, songs are going viral too. TikTok’s engagement is driven by numerous factors, including a notorious algorithm which effectively learns and immediately adapts to users’ interests, short-form content that stays within the boundaries of our ever-decreasing attention span and a timely creation of a virtual worldwide community during lockdown — a time when community spirit was all people wanted.
At the centre of this community was music. People could easily interact with new songs by sharing their own covers, remixes, speed-ups, slow-downs or dance challenge videos.
Rapidly, the app became a game-changer for emerging artists. Rather than busking for hours on street corners or depending on a label, artists can upload a song segment on TikTok and if lucky, gain global exposure instantly. This is why TikTok played a vital role in the success of many of today’s biggest pop stars, including Megan Thee Stallion, Rema, Central Cee, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Noah Kahan, Peggy Gou, and Ice Spice. Whether they were unknown or enjoying smaller scale success, their careers skyrocketed once their songs went viral and mainstream on TikTok. Notable examples include Jack Harlow’s What’s Poppin, Tyla’s Water and CKay’s Love Nwantiti.
One of TikTok’s biggest stars, Lil Nas X, amassed a huge following after his country rap song Old Town Road went viral on TikTok in 2019, and was awarded №1 spot on Billboard Hot 100 song. It wasn’t just its catchy beat that made the song blow up, like many TikTok-famous songs, it went viral because of the memes and dance challenges that accompanied it. Not only did Lil Nas X reportedly promote his song by releasing around 100 self-made memes, but there was also the viral #Yeehaw Challenge, in which people would drink yee haw juice and transform into a cowboy to the song.
Remarkably, the increasing ability, thanks to social media, to independently sidestep the traditional music industry system, is especially empowering for artists who are marginalised by the mainstream music industry, for instance because of their race, sexuality, geographic location, lack of opportunity or even niche song style. For example, self-defined Emo-Afrobeats Nigerian singer Ckay’s 2019 song Love Nwantiti was a hit in Nigeria, but once the remix of the song featuring Joeboy and Kuami Eugene went viral on Tiktok in 2021, it became an international phenomenon reaching Billboard’s Hot 100, bringing Nigerian Pop and “Emo — Afrobeats” into the global spotlight.
It’s not just new songs enjoying TikTok fame. Forgotten tunes of the 80s, 90s and Y2K years, like Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 Dreams, Nelly Furtado’s 2006 Say It Right and Frank Ocean’s 13-year-old Lost, experienced a miraculous resurrection thanks to the app and are now known worldwide.
However, according to critics, music going viral is not solely positive. Firstly, it encourages artists to prioritise catchy melodies and a 15-second segment over the entire song, which saturates charts with repetitive almost formulaic tunes. Secondly, there are questions regarding the effectiveness of TikTok virality in terms of achieving stable success. Not only do viral songs, and even their credit, get lost in the flux of other viral songs, but artists are struggling to keep long-term momentum. Fans at Steve Lacy’s concert, an artist who went viral in 2022 for his song Bad Habit, struggled to sing along to the entire song as they only knew the verse that went viral on TikTok.
Music labels, now depending on TikTok virality to create buzz around artists, have been complaining about the gatekeeping of songs and the pressures on artists to post on TikTok. American artist Halsey has been very outspoken about this, and she famously took to social media to share her frustration:
“Basically I have a song that I love that I wanna release ASAP but my record label won’t let me. I’ve been in this industry for 8 years and I’ve sold over 165 million records. And my record company is saying that I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok. Everything is marketing. And they are doing this to basically every artist these days. I just wanna release music, man. And I deserve better tbh. I’m tired.”
It’s not just virality that has proved an issue, there are ethical problems regarding the app itself. This includes issues of artistic compensation, AI deepfakes and TikTok’s intimidating behaviour that got Universal Music Group to temporarily remove all their artists in 2024, including Taylor Swift, Drake and Elton John, until a deal was worked out, as well as international security risks linked to the Chinese government that has resulted in the threat of a potential US TikTok ban that Trump has pledged to resolve.
While all these challenges threaten to undermine the positive impact of artistic inclusivity, exposure, discovery and global community that TikTok also encourages, one thing is clear: the app has transformed the entire functioning of the music industry. Not only is TikTok the first, and sometimes only, stop in fans’ quest to discover new music but it has become something that artists, big or small, must consider if they want to grow or continue their careers.
With the increasing efficacy of AI and algorithms, as well as society’s growing addiction to the app, there is an understandable concern that TikTok will completely dominate or even “ruin” music. However, this doesn’t need to be true. If labels continue to hold TikTok accountable, AI policies tighten, and the app becomes more regulated, the music industry could change for the better. TikTok has the potential to offer artists of all backgrounds and all genres the chance for discovery and growth, not only democratising the industry, but making it beat louder with creativity, inclusivity and excitement.
