MBW’s Stat Of The Week is a series where we highlight a unique data point that deserves the attention of the global music industry. Stat Of the Week is supported by Cinq Music Group, a technology-driven record label, distribution and rights management company.
Nearly two-thirds of viral hits on TikTok are powered by organic posts from the artist and other TikTok users without spending on advertising or influencers.
That’s according to a new study of weekly TikTok charts in the first half of 2022 by creative consulting agency ContraBrand, which has worked with the likes of Macy Gray and 24kGoldn.
Among the tracks on the TikTok Top 200 that ultimately reached over a million Spotify streams, 63.8% came from organic posts by the artist and other TikTok users, according to ContraBrand, while 35.5% was user-generated content. the artist and only 9.1% were driven by influencer marketing and only 2.5% were triggered by paid ads.
“We started realizing the power of artist-generated content on TikTok in 2020 and since then it has dramatically decreased the cost of breaking a song for our customers. It is arguably the most powerful method for emerging artists to not only build a following, but get streams and sell merchandise online without having to tour,” said ContraBrand co-founder Sean Taylor.
“All 208 artists featured in this report achieved success with the songs they released this year, so it’s certainly not too late for artists to use TikTok as a highly effective marketing tool for their music.”
Countermark
In its report How Artists Go Viral on TikTok in 2022, ContraBrand also noted that 56% (or 117) of the 208 artists whose tracks appear in the report were not signed to a label.
The report further revealed that unsigned artists outperformed their major label and independent counterparts in terms of the number of times artists posted a featured track on average before reaching the 100,000 views milestone on TikTok.
Of those unsigned artists, 63% went viral without running ads or hiring influencers or agencies.
“All 208 artists featured in this report achieved success with the songs they released this year, so it’s certainly not too late for artists to use TikTok as a highly effective marketing tool for their music,” said ContraBrand.
While many artists dread having to go viral quickly on TikTok or give up trying, 50% of the 74 artists who went viral through their own content had been actively posting on TikTok for a minimum of 18 months.
“Since the shortest time spent on the platform before an artist’s breakthrough is two months, this goes a long way in squashing the myth of artists exploding overnight on TikTok,” he says. The report.
ContraBrand highlighted the case of INJI, an American artist whose breakout song GASLIGHT has amassed 1 million streams on Spotify since its release on April 14. INJI only joined TikTok two months before the release of that song. Since then, the artist has gained 13,400 followers on TikTok and 105,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
“INJI is a prime example of how releasing your debut single with almost no followers on TikTok can still lead to massive success,” said ContraBrand, while acknowledging that while success can come overnight, studios cases would suggest that patience and consistency are also key. go viral.
The report examined weekly charts for 20 countries where TikTok operates, including the US, Australia, Canada, UK, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Japan and the Philippines.
The study found that artist-generated content is the most common method for emerging artists to go viral this year, as it is the most profitable avenue and lowest barrier for artists looking to enter the music industry. This year alone, 74 artists have been able to launch their own careers by posting their own content on TikTok, and of the total, 23 have been able to amass at least 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“Artists don’t necessarily need to be endorsed by a record label or placed on dozens of editorial playlists, nor do they need to pay influencers to promote their music.”
Sean Taylor, Counterbrand
Taylor said that a large part of TikTok’s infrastructure is dedicated to music, unlike other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and as TikTok now holds a patent for a music service and has hired staff for a unit called “TikTok Music”. music and TikTok are poised to become even more intertwined.
“It has also been very encouraging to see how TikTok has leveled the playing field for emerging artists. Artists don’t necessarily need to be endorsed by a record label or placed on dozens of editorial playlists, nor do they need to pay influencers to promote their music,” added Taylor.
The report highlights the growing use of social media for music promotion. A separate study by US market monitor Luminate (formerly MRC Data/Nielsen Music) revealed that half of music listeners in the Asia Pacific region discover new music through social media platforms like TikTok. .
Music business around the world
Source: news.google.com