TikTok; The Future of Music?

Even if you're not an active user of social media, you've probably heard of an app called TikTok. This social media platform took off in the United States in 2017 and has steadily continued to grow in popularity. Users post videos up to 60 seconds in length, showcasing a wide range of subject matter. From comedy skits and "trending" dance routines to makeup artists and photographers sharing their talents, it is a ridiculously entertaining stream of random content that will suck you in. You'll begin scrolling through your "For You" page and suddenly realize 30 minutes have seemingly vanished.

This new, level playing field is a breakthrough for recording artists looking to build their fanbase. TikTok allows creators to use snippets of songs, called "sounds," from an extensive song library in their videos. Those videos display the song's title and artist's name. The viewer can then click on the song information to access it themselves, use it in their video, and view every other TikTok video that has featured that sound. Because of this fantastic feature, artists are watching their songs go viral.

Hashtags and "trends" rule the Wild West that is TikTok, helping videos gain exposure with a target audience. The power to make a video go viral lies in the hands of the TikTok community. As a middle school student in 2007, I remember hearing about YouTube for the first time from one of my classmates. They couldn't stop talking about a strange and hilarious video called "Charlie the Unicorn." I made my way to YouTube so I could find the video for myself and couldn't believe how cool the site was. Even then, I was a serious musician, and finding cool undiscovered artists to follow quickly became when of my favorite pastimes.

When searching for fun new videos on YouTube in 2007, the latest posted and most viewed were both easy to find. Today, YouTube buries new content, favoring videos uploaded by users with a budget. These changes in the algorithms have made it nearly impossible for newcomers to break through and find their audience. The same method of filtering content has corrupted Facebook, and it's sister site Instagram. When it comes to Twitter, let's face the music; thanks to celebrity feuds and politics, it has become the armpit of social media. Fortunately, TikTok has come galloping in to provide everyone the opportunity to make an impact online.

As a pop recording artist, I'm continually looking for the most effective ways to grow my fanbase. Professionally releasing music and promoting live performances through social media has been a focal point for me since I was fourteen years old. Now twenty-five, with over ten years of involvement in the social media game, I've tested just about every theory for finding internet success. Each platform targets specific demographics, provides unique resources and plays by its own set of rules. Sifting through these complex layers is time-consuming and, ultimately, disheartening, especially after watching the corrupt downfall of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Hitting their algorithms just right is like trying to win the lottery. Sadly, I'd need to win the lottery to afford the necessary ad-space to cheat the algorithms and gain exposure for my posts.

I've grown tired of wishing the internet could rewind so I could relive and better take advantage of what I believe to have been social media's Elizabethan era. With my frustration in tow, I've searched for new platforms worthy of rising to the occasion. It wasn't until I gave TikTok a chance that I finally felt hopeful for the future of social media. I was leery, after hearing chatter about how it was an app for little kids wanting to post videos of themselves dancing and lip-syncing, but I was curious none the less. To my surprise, I discovered that TikTok is most popular with teens and young adults. This finding drew me in wholeheartedly since these users are my target audience.

So far, I've learned almost everything I need to know about TikTok and it's algorithms by merely engaging with other users' content. To date, I've posted 112 videos, acquired just over 22,000 total likes, and gained more than 700 followers. The subject matter of my videos ranges from clips of me singing to montages of random daily activities. One of my best friends, Summer Collins, is a TikTok user with just under 4 million overall video likes on only 74 videos posted to her page, @summerloveworld. Her bubbly personality and breezy sense of humor translate perfectly through short video clips. The TikTok community has quickly taken note of this, earning her over 133,000 followers. About two months ago, I asked Summer if she had any advice regarding my TikTok posts. She encouraged me to post anything and everything because you never know what will resonate with people when they're scrolling through their "For You" page. That is the magic of TikTok. Her advice was spot on! My most popular videos are the ones that were the most spontaneous, which has further encouraged me to keep pushing forward when one of my videos misses the mark.

All of my new favorite songs and recording artists have been brought to my attention through TikTok. I have yet to gain real traction there with my music, but I'm more optimistic than I've been in a long time! It will take patience and perseverance to reach my goal of creating a music fanbase on TikTok, but I'm up for the challenge. If you are a musician or creative, I encourage you to take advantage of this platform. I see a lot of my friends, who I believe would crush making content there, brush it off as an "app for kids" just like I did. It's easy to tell they've never experienced the app for themselves. Maybe it is a fear of failure that holds them back? Or fear of actually succeeding on a platform they view as widely unpopular among their friends? No matter the reason, I think that short-changing yourself is always a mistake. The first person to take a chance on YouTube and have it turn out to be incredibly rewarding is undoubtedly glad that they put themselves out there.

TikTok is truly the Wild West of social media right now, bringing people together in new and imaginative ways. It encourages its users to take the reins and dictate what videos deserve the most views. You can't deny how powerful it has become as a platform for creatives — especially recording artists. If you haven't already signed up for TikTok, I strongly encourage you to. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find and can accomplish. TikTok is more than just an online social community. TikTok is a movement.