Analyzing the Benefits and Drawbacks of the Effects of TikTok Virality on the Music Industry

Abstract

TikTok can allow us to understand the main commercial trends in contemporary popular music. Utilizing studies from Forbes, BusinessInsider, and the Washington Post, and analyzing their data, I argue that TikTok has enhanced the globalization of the music industry while homogenizing music into a short and catchy mode to induce the probability of going viral. TikTok has had a profound influence on people and their entertainment choices, making changes in the music industry inevitable. I show how TikTok has accelerated a decrease in songs’ length and increased the use of repetitive song structures. This has forced the music industry to transform and adapt its focus and form to appeal to younger generations’ entertainment demands.

Introduction

The rise of social media platforms like TikTok has brought profound changes to the music industry, transforming how artists are discovered, how songs go viral, and how genres evolve. The psychological effect of TikTok has grabbed people’s attention due to its short, attention-seeking videos which engage users, connect listeners emotionally, and create a platform where music virality and creativity collide. TikTok's influence on music trends has had both profoundly positive and negative implications.