The Revolution of TikTok in the Music Industry

If you speak to any person in or below their 20s’ and ask them to distinguish between a number of classic songs and their singers, more often than not their response would be, “Oh, isn’t this a TikTok trend?” The ‘TikTokization’ of the music industry is not a new topic but an intriguing one. With the opposite perspectives on this new trend of marketing music, there are opinions and statistics that convey that TikTok is more or less the current app for discovering new music.

The rising fame and enticing algorithm of TikTok provide an efficient medium for marketing new songs and indie artists. It is influential in reviving old classics. Many of these old classics have gained traction and top charts due to the For You page of TikTok. Artists like Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush come to mind on this matter.

Essentially, TikTok is now a new medium to be discovered by a lot of young artists. International sensations aside, our local indie music industry has thrived thanks to TikTok’s intricate algorithm and marketing strategies. Songs like Dameer’s “Bashbo Bhalo,” Level Five’s “60’s Love,” Odd Signature’s “Ghum” and many more have gained popularity among the youth of Bangladesh.

The Billboard 100 and Spotify Viral 50 routinely feature trendy songs on TikTok. Also, a November 2021 study was performed on TikTok by the music analytics company, MRC Data. It was found that 67% of the app’s users are likely to look for songs on music-streaming platforms after discovering them on TikTok. 

Sabrina, a university student in Dhaka, says that the main reason TikTok trends are appealing is because of the catchy and crisp nature of the song clips. Another avid TikTok user, Mehrin, a college student in Chittagong, also adds that she thinks even though the trending songs on the For You page are polished and entertaining, they may not be honest, raw music.

Since this effect of TikTok is often beneficial to local indie bands and underrated artists, its focus on trending music is an advantage for young and new artists in the music industry. However, the problem with this algorithm is quite alarming. Often musicians emphasize going viral more importance rather than creating music they want to make, leading to inauthenticity.