TikTok’s influence on music consumption sprawls wider than 10-second clips of Generation Z members flailing around to soundbites. Musicians Blu DeTiger, Max Motley, Devon Schmalz, and Tai Verdes joined TikTok music editorial lead William Gruger to discuss the video-sharing social network’s true role as a vehicle for discovery and education.
The one-hour, prerecorded SXSW Online panel, which became available for broadcast Tuesday morning, began with the explicatory: TikTok feeds cater uniquely to the interests of the user. Clips range from harmless dancing performed in living rooms to “time warps” that defy every law of physics.
“What you’re seeing in the feeds is the deepest corners of anybody’s brain and psychology,” said Gruger. “Because everyone’s so different and the ways that that music takes off on the platform varies.”“It’s really cool these 12-year-olds are now listening to Bill Withers,” DeTiger said. “It’s cool from an educational and music history standpoint that they’re finding these songs that are such classics.”
The importance of crafting a narrative on TikTok is vital. Disney star Olivia Rodrigo recently debuted “Drivers License” atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song went viral on the video-sharing service as users used the app’s green screen effect to spotlight tweets pertinent to the teenager’s ongoing feud with a fellow Disney actress.
Tal Verdes, meanwhile, shows off the oft-overlooked side of music creation as he engages his TikTok to embody the common man.
“When I heard of playlists on Spotify three years ago, I would know nothing about that artist,” the Los Angeles singer-songwriter revealed. “Now people know that I worked out in California in a Verizon store and my hair kinda looks like I’m homeless.”
Though TikTok caters to a predominantly young audience, the bridge between old and new strengthens. In Oct. 2020, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” became the oldest non-holiday track to crack the Top 10 of the Billboard Streaming Songs Chart. All thanks to a guy (Nathan Apodaca) skateboarding while drinking some Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry.
“It’s really cool these 12-year-olds are now listening to Bill Withers,” DeTiger said. “It’s cool from an educational and music history standpoint that they’re finding these songs that are such classics. They’re finding them through TikTok.
“It’s not only a way to find new music. It’s a way to reconnect.”
This article appears in March 12 • 2021.
