PRO.017 The Value of TikTok Virality
Welcome to the RA Pro Newsletter: a bite-sized look at the trends and themes impacting businesses in the electronic music industry. Sign up to the full newsletter to get early access to each release and read all archived editions.
Words by Nyshka Chandran
There's no question that TikTok is cementing its grip on the music business. It has its own streaming app, in-house marketing, distribution and is reportedly ?looking to hire an A&R lead. But just how useful is it for the electronic underground? TikTok's ongoing spat with Universal Music offers key insights on how labels value the social platform.
Universal recently yanked its catalogue from the app, blaming the latter's royalty rates, which are lower than industry standard, and lack of regulation over A.I.-generated music. In an open letter , the major label said that despite TikTok's reliance on music-based content, it accounted for just one percent of Universal's total revenue. In response, the app called ?Universal's actions "self-serving," saying it "put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters."
Universal's intentions might be noble, but its emerging artists could very well experience a short-term setback from a lack of exposure. TikTok calls itself "a free promotional and discovery vehicle"—and it's not wrong. Its billion-plus users can propel artist careers into overdrive: PinkPantheress , Nia Archives , Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX and Shygirl are some of the electronic acts who have benefitted from viral TikTok moments. It's "the central place for fan engagement" with electronic music, which has outperformed hip-hop on the platform, according to the most recent IMS Business Report . One key reason is TikTok's fan edits, which enable cross-genre collaborations and go hand-in-hand with the phenomenon of more young people eschewing rigid genre classifications.?
As TikTok aligns itself more with electronic music through partnerships with Amsterdam Dance Event and live streams of Bicep shows, more Gen Z fans are discovering a slightly nicher realm of dance music. TikTok's audience is valuable but for many DIY labels, streaming metrics simply aren't all that. It remains to be seen if underground labels even have the bandwidth to properly engage with the platform. Monitoring the wide world of social listening requires manpower and resources, which bigger labels have more of. For more on how the video creation and sharing app is changing electronic music, revisit our feature ?from 2022.
Perspectives on the ground
Mita De, head of artist strategy at Ninja Tune , one of electronic music's most prominent and well-known labels, says TikTok is a crucial component of its artist campaigns, audience development strategy and overall marketing plans.?
"Short form content is the gateway to a deeper fan experience," De told Resident Advisor. "It’s the entry point for a fan who is then directed towards longer consumption in the form of extended content on YouTube, albums (new and catalogue), press interviews, sessions and convert them into subscribers, ticket, physical album and merch buyers, therefore building a long term artist-fan relationship." It's important to have "a creative content strategy in place to communicate the artist narrative," she continued. This can "help nudge the algorithm across TikTok as well as Instagram (Reels), YouTube (Shorts) as well as Spotify (Clips), Apple Music," making it an integral element of release campaigns."
"Viral moments can have a very powerful impact on streaming results," she noted. "There is nearly always a direct correlation, so as a label where ultimately our goal is to maximise music sales—and there are limited ways to have breakout success—a viral moment is almost certainly a very beneficial thing. However, as with any form of accelerated success, there will be different levels of fans that will be attracted."
That requires catering to different audiences and tailoring marketing. "We also mitigate risks of drop off or backlash by ensuring that there is a solid offering of options to engagement in the community so there is awareness beyond just one song," De said. "This can be across mailing lists, messaging broadcast channels and community platforms such as Discord: all strategies to turn passive listeners into real fans."
In case you missed it–important industry news
领英推荐
Marketing Officer
The Blues Kitchen
London, UK
Social Media Manager
AIAIAI
Berlin, Germany
Management Assistant
Circulate
Lisbon, Portugal
This is an excerpt from our fortnightly RA Pro Newsletter: A bite-sized look at the trends and themes impacting businesses in the electronic music industry.
?