With any app―no matter how big or small―the first question to be asked is, What does it do? Yes, TikTok is a short-form video streaming platform, but so was Quibi. Whether or not you’ve embraced the world of viral dances, lip-synch videos, and 16-year-olds making themselves very rich, the fast-paced rise of the app raises a number of questions about the music industry’s future. But in 2020, nothing altered the music landscape like TikTok. And with the Trump administration currently in courts fighting to ban the app from American phones, its future is far from certain. Virality has intruded into every aspect of our lives, and with the staggering popularity of TikTok, seemingly random moments can make artists superstars off 15-second clips and a healthy dose of luck. First, there was the MP3, then, eventually, the option to stream uninterrupted for a fixed cost or free with advertisements, and now, there’s … the snippet? This week’s episode of The Ringer Music Show examines success on the app from another angle: What do artists do after they get their first viral hit? Listen for free on Spotify and subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday.Īs the music industry continues to adjust on the fly to the technological innovations that change the way we consume songs, power players have come and gone, some have increased leverage, and, in some cases, others have dissolved into nothingness.

Below is an article on the state of TikTok, the effect it had on the music industry in 2020, what its future could look like.

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