The mad scientists at TikTok are experimenting with a new way to provide more exposure for musicians in the app by giving users the ability to create content based on their music to help amplify their in-app reach. The thing with TikTok is, though it might not have the same reach, at scale, as the likes of Facebook and Instagram, it attempts to expand all of its user segments. This time, musicians are the ones in the spotlight.
DJ, Gimme’ A Beat!
Based on an example shared by Jonah Manzano, some TikTok users are now seeing a new ‘Work with Artists’ option in their Creator Tools menu. When selected, the button takes you through the process of selecting a track and creating content based on that music.
Once you find a song that you like, you can choose a paid challenge, which will then make you eligible for cash rewards based on engagement with the subsequent video you create using said music. So, if your video gets the most likes, based on the parameters of the proposed campaign in the listing, you can start profiting from your promotional efforts, providing another way for musicians to incentivize sharing their work in-stream.
TikTok has become a key promotional platform for musicians, with the app now fueling many trends that spark major hits. True enough, many musicians have used TikTok fame to essentially springboard their careers, which has led to many more looking to do the same for their recordings.
With this in mind, the new ‘Work with Artists’ option seems to have good potential, providing musicians with an easy way to incentivize sharing and promote their music in a more organic-feeling way. It’s not really a novel concept, but this small push could help spark new viral music trends on the platform, and get more people to share the best tracks, which, in turn, could lead to significant opportunities for the artists.
The Wrap
With TikTok users responding to user-generated clips more than they do from direct promotions from labels, this might just be the best way for aspiring musicians to promote their works, while also giving users more opportunities to earn in the app. You can bet that like its other market-specific boosting initiatives, TikTok should release some sort of insights overview to highlight the growth afforded by this new push.
This is just the introductory stuff. ‘Work with Artists’ will likely get updates in the following months, so while there’s not much to go around with yet, check back in a couple of weeks to see if there’s something new to work with.
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