The Current Backbone of the Music Industry: TikTok

When COVID-19 hit, the music industry was left in shambles with little to no government resources to pick up the pieces. Which left artists fending for themselves, and forcing them to make their digital presence known in the unprecedented times that followed. And in came TikTok, the massive video-sharing-based social media platform that tailors its videos to you based on its algorithm and its critically acclaimed “For You” page. TikTok is unlike YouTube because of one pivotal reason – the length of each video. Because of the fifteen-second to 3 minute-time range, users can scroll through dozens of videos a day, filled with dozens of different songs and creators. TikTok exposes its users to such a wide range of media that there’s a place for everyone, and among all those videos are the musicians of tomorrow. Based on just a few lyrics or beats, a new trend emerges, and before the creator knows it, their music is famous. But… Not everyone is sold on it, and some believe that the fledgling app is a fad that will come and go. In this episode, digital design editor Roberto Soto, print design editor Isabel Alvarez, and host Trevor Stovall are here to talk about their different hot takes on the larger-than-life platform that is TikTok.