Tik Tok Robs Artists

Violet Oliver - November 1st, 2023

Music has been at the core of cultures and communities. It has fueled propaganda, become a way to express oneself, and has created movements larger than anyone could imagine. It has become a positive part of society and one of the most powerful forms of communication. However, like anything in the world, the music industry is constantly evolving, for better and for worse. With the development of current day musicians on the social media platform Tiktok, the music industry has tanked in creativity and originality.

A musician's job is to adhere to their audience. From artists like Rage Against the Machine who use their platform to adhere to social activism to musicians like Taylor Swift and Halsey who adhere to express the need for self-love, most artists start with the intention of spreading a positive message. As music evolves, so does a musician’s intent. It is no longer about the overall message but how well a song can perform on one of the most popular apps, Tiktok. Music has always been about spreading a message, but when an app “puts a creative restraint on the artist from the very start,” (Clark) the message becomes formulated to appeal to their audience. Whatever song becomes a hit must be recreated numerous times for more fame, thus pulling away the creativity and genuinity. 

Tiktok not only pulls away creativity, but damages the artists’ music as a whole. Numerous tiktok creators have commented on the 30-second snips that the platform gives them of a song. For example, numerous ”companies [are] constantly fighting to get in on the action of TikTok and its tendency to produce virality” (Gold). Creating their songs for the guarantee that it will become popular damages the artist. Although the artists get more streams and revenue, their music lacks creativity and becomes another basic musician with nothing that allows them to stand out.

Artists like Rage Against the Machine, Taylor Swift, and Halsey made names for themselves by focusing on their music and not on the idea that it would become a 30-second hit on an app that will eventually cease to exist. They focus on the long-term effects of their music rather than the short-term fame. When an artist creates meaning to their music, they’re focused on the creativity and originality of the message. Tiktok prevents musicians from giving their music meaning by influencing them into focusing on the short-term results.

Works Cited

Gold, Shaynen. “Point: TikTok’s Effect on the Music Industry: Bad or Good?” The Commander, 14 Apr. 2023, www.uchscommander.com/opinions/2023/04/14/point-tiktoks-effect-on-the-music-industry-bad-or-good/. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023. 

Clark, Brian. “Is Tiktok Bad for the Music Industry?” Musician Wave, 28 Sept. 2023, www.musicianwave.com/is-tiktok-bad-for-the-music-industry/.