TikTok has been affecting the music people listen to. Graphic from theverge.com.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. With content focused on music and dance, it’s no secret that the music industry has changed to cater to new trends and dances.
Starting in the summer of 2019, popular creators such as the D’Amelio sisters, Addison Rae and the Hype House created dances that instantly became popular. Songs like “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas, “Lottery” by K Camp and “Say So” by Doja Cat all topped the charts after TikTokers made dances to their songs with great success.
Recently, there has also been a resurgence of older songs. Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 hit “Money Trees” as well as Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 smash hit “Dreams” have come back into popularity. Fleetwood Mac even climbed back onto the charts as they are now number seven on Spotify’s US Top 50. Their recent popularity can be traced back to a video by user @420doggface208, which absolutely exploded on the app and features their song “Dreams,” inspiring many celebrity interpretations. Members of the band have even participated with their own versions as well!
With the growth of music streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and other services, it’s easy to see how social media trends affect music. With access to millions of songs and thousands of artists, finding new music is easier than ever. If a song finds popularity on TikTok, you can expect that it will grow across the many streaming platforms.
“Most of the music I listen to is from or has been on TikTok,” freshman Rebecca Rezendes said.
She also believes that the quality of music is changing because of TikTok.
“Some artists aren’t as established yet, and their quality and production suffers because of that,” she added.
Fellow freshman Chris Thompson said “it’s 50-50” when asked if the music that he listens to comes from TikTok and that “the songs on TikTok are more catchy.” He explained that he has noticed a larger change in music following social media trends.
Personally, I have also seen a change in popular music in the past few years as social media grows. Radio stations continually choose songs that are popular with listeners, limiting the ability to find new music. TikTok provides smaller and less popular artists a way to effectively promote and share their work.
Take a look at the US Top 50 chart. Songs like “Mood” BY 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior, “For the Night” by Pop Smoke featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby, “Lemonade” by Internet Money featuring Don Toliver, Gunna and NAV and “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are all also top sounds on TikTok.
The songs that end up becoming popular on TikTok often contain catchy beats and choruses. In the future, will more artists create songs just to blow up on TikTok? Will the quality of music suffer to create a hit? How will production and distribution be affected by social media? We can only watch now as social media continues to influence even more aspects of our lives.