We tracked what happens after TikTok songs go viral

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  • Опубліковано 30 тра 2022
  • A data investigation into how TikTok is shaping the music industry, in collaboration with The Pudding.
    Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don't miss any videos: goo.gl/0bsAjO
    It’s no secret that TikTok is a virality machine. Songs get turned into sounds that can be used in any video, and if they gain enough traction they can catapult a musician into the pop culture stratosphere. But we wanted to know exactly what happens between a song going viral and an artist becoming a bonafide success. So in the fall of 2021, we partnered with data analysis website The Pudding figure it out.
    Along the way, we discovered that using data to concretely answer this question is quite a challenge. Our process included creating dozens of custom data sets, careful fact-checking, and conversations with both hit songwriters and music industry executives to match data with real experiences.
    After seven months of spreadsheets, data deep-dives, and interviews, we were able to follow the numbers to track what happens to artists after they go viral - and how the music industry has shapeshifted around TikTok. It turns out the app is completely revolutionizing the way record labels work, and giving artists more leverage than ever.
    Check out the data on The Pudding's website here: pudding.cool/2022/07/tiktok-s...
    More from The Pudding: pudding.cool/ | TikTok: @the_pudding
    Additional credit: Researcher Halley Brown
    You can find all of our interviewees at the links below:
    JVKE | TikTok: @JVKE | IG: @itsjvke
    L.Dre | TikTok: @ldrethegiant | IG: @ldrethegiant | UA-cam: / prodbyldre
    Tom Rosenthal | TikTok: @tomrosenthalmusic
    Mary Rahmani | www.moonprojects.com
    Ari Herstand | aristake.com
    Elias Leight | Twitter: @ehleight
    Matt Daniels | Twitter: @matthew_daniels
    Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: vox.com/video-newsletter
    Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com
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  • Розваги

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,4 тис.

  • @Vox
    @Vox  Рік тому +615

    For more from our friends at The Pudding, check them out at: pudding.cool/ They make data fun and accessible, providing longform and interactive data journalism pieces spanning topics from Ali Wong to Air Jordans.

    • @Vox
      @Vox  Рік тому +45

      If I've learned anything from this project, it's that record deals are very complicated. In the video, we did our best to simplify the main components of how they work, but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of components! Too many, in fact. If you want to dig into all of them, here's a great record deal simulator that's worth your while. dealsim.createos.app/
      -Estelle

    • @hermeslein6614
      @hermeslein6614 Рік тому

      China is the new alpha the world is laughing at America

    • @red1004
      @red1004 Рік тому +1

      Cool

    • @soumyadeepkundu6025
      @soumyadeepkundu6025 Рік тому +17

      Hi. Loved the video! Anyway we can get our hands on the dataset?

    • @mikeyforrester6887
      @mikeyforrester6887 Рік тому +2

      You didn't actually name one famous viral track in this whole piece.

  • @nituldeshptha99
    @nituldeshptha99 Рік тому +11750

    "I'm their worst nightmare really because I'm older than, ya know, 19"
    Tells you everything you need to know about how these companies exploit young talent

    • @JupiterKnight
      @JupiterKnight Рік тому +36

      sus

    • @hermeslein6614
      @hermeslein6614 Рік тому

      You just mad that an Chinse company is dominating and destrying western apps

    • @tehseenarab2252
      @tehseenarab2252 Рік тому +10

      You should tell rather to make a video on India

    • @MrGlotzTV
      @MrGlotzTV Рік тому +173

      Agree! I see record labels as rent seekers that offer little to nothing for a huge cut. Great to see that many artists are starting to see it in the same way. With today's viral marketing and connection on social media these companies are becoming irrelevant fast.

    • @Skemmm
      @Skemmm Рік тому +13

      Thus being independent is the best even if hard

  • @omi_cha
    @omi_cha Рік тому +1195

    I appreciate the optimism this video shares about the power of DIY artists, but that question of “is music just content now?” wasn’t dug into deep enough. Posting 3-5 times A DAY to maintain engagement + being the video editor/graphic/designer etc on TOP of being a songwriter, music producer, and mix engineer for the content you create…I mean, this kind of constant churning of output & productivity is draining on a human level. It is unsustainable. The real win is when artists are able to maintain longevity in their artistry without compromising this humanity.

    • @lillysummeroriginals1213
      @lillysummeroriginals1213 Рік тому +23

      Hey there I just wanted to say I couldn’t agree more. I absolutely love and agree with everything you said and unfortunately it’s very sad. Hopefully eventually there will be a way around it and to get that perfect scenario. At least for now that we are spreading the word and hopefully that will help.😀

    • @IgorZemlyanin
      @IgorZemlyanin Рік тому +5

      I absolutely agree

    • @leoquinn04
      @leoquinn04 Рік тому +10

      I could not agree more. I was also surprised they didn't really explore the idea of artists being in competition with each other. Obviously music is an industry, and there's only so many listener minutes up for grabs in a given day, but approaching artistic creation through a competitive framework will always be somewhat perverse to me. I fear that constantly playing the numbers game is only going to lead to more pressure on artists and less good music overall. The best music comes from organic inspiration, not deadlines from labels.

    • @hvnterly8388
      @hvnterly8388 Рік тому +2

      I feel like I didn’t learn anything new from this, that I didn’t already know.

    • @aceman0000099
      @aceman0000099 Рік тому +1

      Surely if you are even mildly successful, you can afford to have some help with video making, even just one person extra would cut your workload in half

  • @cherie..cherry
    @cherie..cherry Рік тому +7250

    I always feel bad for some artists who end up being “one hit wonders” because a sound of theirs went viral. I can’t imagine how degrading it is to one day have a song/video with 1Million streams, to go back to getting barely anything. Especially young people who think it’s a fault of theirs rather than a trend or algorithm.

    • @oozly9291
      @oozly9291 Рік тому +437

      Happened then, happens now. Popular songs before the internet were one hit wonders too, unfortunate but the reality of fierce competition

    • @Noise_floorxx
      @Noise_floorxx Рік тому +219

      Some people live pretty decent lives with the money from their one hit wonder.

    • @whistlingbanshee5038
      @whistlingbanshee5038 Рік тому +147

      @@Noise_floorxx I wonder how Gotye is these days....

    • @MynameisBrianZX
      @MynameisBrianZX Рік тому +150

      Consumers don’t have to be loyal to a brand. This is why famous artists go to such great lengths to form an identity and a dedicated fanbase, even delving into less-ethical territory like parasocial relationships.

    • @yxwns
      @yxwns Рік тому +87

      ​@@whistlingbanshee5038 the dude behind gotye is still producing music in a band to this day in the band "the basics"

  • @TomRosenthal1
    @TomRosenthal1 Рік тому +7081

    This is a wonderfully made and very important doc, especially for young artists.
    Delighted to be a small part of it.

    • @newb4038
      @newb4038 Рік тому +2

      Your here

    • @justin.booth.
      @justin.booth. Рік тому +3

      Didn't expect to see you here!

    • @dirkdiggler.
      @dirkdiggler. Рік тому +10

      Nothing on tik tok is important

    • @ryucerie
      @ryucerie Рік тому

      Great to see you here! Your music is awesome!

    • @maia-ek8rr
      @maia-ek8rr Рік тому +3

      It was super cool to see you show up in the video :)

  • @audreyyyhappened6831
    @audreyyyhappened6831 Рік тому +2942

    Vox has seriously gotten me really into journalism.

    • @bellecwy
      @bellecwy Рік тому +20

      no fr 😭

    • @mohamedshamekh3162
      @mohamedshamekh3162 Рік тому +30

      not all of their videos are amazing but this is one of their best ones to be honest

    • @scottiejerwinabejuela4973
      @scottiejerwinabejuela4973 Рік тому

      Same

    • @Yeporoonie2
      @Yeporoonie2 Рік тому +2

      Look up annual pay 😎

    • @o_sch
      @o_sch Рік тому

      @@Yeporoonie2 how to ruin their dream in one step
      Just become a programmer or something you get 6 figures pretty easily if youre good at it

  • @SongL204
    @SongL204 Рік тому +4810

    With the amount of research done for this, why isn't this published in some academic journal? This is just so good.

    • @analusilvaj
      @analusilvaj Рік тому +403

      Right? It's almost like a thesis, with the methodology and the interviews... Amazing!

    • @iron4517
      @iron4517 Рік тому +246

      thats vox for you

    • @joshuaschmidt5986
      @joshuaschmidt5986 Рік тому +70

      yeah this should be published, would love to read the details

    • @daveblack6951
      @daveblack6951 Рік тому +22

      Welcome to Vox!

    • @pasdpasse439
      @pasdpasse439 Рік тому +7

      Academic journals usually include STEM subjects

  • @JVKE
    @JVKE Рік тому +2900

    so thankful i get to do what i love for a living. :) amazing video vox✨

    • @Pcgamingfixes
      @Pcgamingfixes Рік тому +46

      Hey look, it’s you. Lol

    • @emilianorosario5935
      @emilianorosario5935 Рік тому +28

      congrats man!

    • @Neliel97
      @Neliel97 Рік тому +21

      I love your songs! Congrats on the well-deserved success💜

    • @Clavinohou
      @Clavinohou Рік тому +3

      good job on the one song that goes like

    • @minibray
      @minibray Рік тому +4

      I’m just glad one of my friends showed me your music since I’m not on TikTok

  • @faisssssssss
    @faisssssssss Рік тому +3431

    It would also be good if you could shed a light on the bad influence of tiktok on the music industry, like how major labels are forcing big artists to do tiktoks to ride the trend wave as well as creating an obsession with constantly posting could lead to burnout.

    • @subotaiKhan
      @subotaiKhan Рік тому +20

      What big artists are being forced to do tiktok?

    • @mina-min
      @mina-min Рік тому +138

      @@subotaiKhan Florence and the machine is one example

    • @imageez
      @imageez Рік тому +87

      I suspect this was researched before this became a topic, but we can make an educated guess from what has been researched. They want the big money from Tiktok listneners, so they say to artists, hey, these nineteen year olds got hella listeners and money (according to this system we choose to exploit them with), why don't you adults do the same?

    • @DustFR
      @DustFR Рік тому +50

      Well charlie Puth is definitely the biggest one i can think of

    • @leonmeyers7009
      @leonmeyers7009 Рік тому +56

      Same goes for K-pop groups & their labels😪

  • @jamtronllc
    @jamtronllc Рік тому +801

    I think it’s important that it’s still OK to just make music. It’s OK to make a song in your bedroom and send it to a couple friends just be happy that you are creating. There is so much pressure to self promote and market yourself constantly after you make a song. It’s OK to just be an artist for yourself and a few others because it’s very fulfilling without the madness of trying to grow an audience on social media.

    • @shazamn8983
      @shazamn8983 Рік тому +14

      Word!

    • @pippistyles
      @pippistyles Рік тому +8

      Well said!

    • @Ipoetize
      @Ipoetize Рік тому +7

      Yes, yes, and yes.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Рік тому +21

      Absolutely. Some people thrive posting every little thing online and getting feedback but I found I work best when I create in private and only widely share the stuff I love the best.

    • @jamesdavid6985
      @jamesdavid6985 Рік тому +11

      Thank you for saying this! I’ve been thinking about posting stuff online but I’m a little worried about getting obsessed over it, at the cost of neglecting my career. Ultimately I just wanna post stuff for fun, and if it becomes successful that’ll just be a bonus I guess.

  • @jeremymuesing3486
    @jeremymuesing3486 Рік тому +1187

    Can't decide if this is encouraging or disheartening. Nice to see artists gaining power back through social media but at the same time they are subject to the whims of social media. They replaced one problem with another. And on top of that they are creating a few seconds of sounds in a shotgun format to hopefully keep the train going. If the problem with the labels was subservience the new problem might be constant anxiety that you'll be replaced in a matter of hours

    • @Putt-Putt
      @Putt-Putt Рік тому +36

      Well good thing that instead of the record label putting a knife at your throat, now it's the users who will determine your success in TikTok. Also subject to TikTok's algorithm.

    • @peterparker9954
      @peterparker9954 Рік тому +5

      Atleast they won't be poor

    • @illfather7066
      @illfather7066 Рік тому +5

      They say its way easier to break through than it is to stay relevant

    • @Stallagmite
      @Stallagmite Рік тому +6

      ya, totally, 👍 I can't see my original songs fitting on tic toc and if I put all that energy into content-promotion, I'd have no energy left for creative song making 😁

    • @pinkpablo5960
      @pinkpablo5960 Рік тому

      meet the new boss...........

  • @tayloreh
    @tayloreh Рік тому +64

    Nobodys talking about what this does to the quality of music itself. It forces every song to essentially be reduced to as impactful a 15 second snippet as possible, seriously dumbing down the possibilities of music

  • @MargaritaPerez-iv9xv
    @MargaritaPerez-iv9xv Рік тому +301

    I'm a data science nerd and it was so cool to see a collab with the pudding. I love pop culture, especially music culture. Amazing video!!!

    • @rabbitazteca23
      @rabbitazteca23 Рік тому +7

      same as a data scientist I was soooo geeking out and was even tempted to pause the video and download the datasets myself HAHAAAHA.

    • @lexigreen430
      @lexigreen430 Рік тому +4

      SAME! I'm a data analyst and this was heaven for my brain!

  • @lukewinfield8666
    @lukewinfield8666 Рік тому +371

    I work as a marketing manager for artists and producers with 4 years of A&R under my belt - 3 at Atlantic Records. I preach this video's message word for word multiple times a week. This is a phenomenal video Vox and thank you for adding the data and visuals required for a better understanding.

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +3

      Hey, quick question how would you describe the type of music that usually goes viral on tiktok is it Pop, hip hop or Jazz, singer songwriter etc. does the genre even matter. like from your perspective what do you usually see on the app?

    • @rabbitazteca23
      @rabbitazteca23 Рік тому +9

      @@Sam-cq9us it's weird because tiktok has allowed people to form communities or "cores". So far I've seen a lot of pop but also some RnB with Jazz. I can imagine that if enough Jazz people join tikokt and create a vibrant community, you could discover more talents there related to Jazz.

    • @KLienne
      @KLienne Рік тому

      Yikes, imagine needing to keep up with TikTok to earn your money.

  • @LDreTheGiant
    @LDreTheGiant Рік тому +112

    7:06 thanks for having me this was awesome!

  • @kungfumind.
    @kungfumind. Рік тому +340

    Tik tok songs are like ringtones. It doesn't sound right when your radio station plays it and your parents sing it

    • @fandroid6491
      @fandroid6491 Рік тому +24

      It doesn't sound right if my parrot sings it too. Or my cat. Or by that rice cooker sitting on my kitchen.

    • @martinhawes5647
      @martinhawes5647 Рік тому +3

      Why would anyone sing a ringtone?

    • @Klrfl101
      @Klrfl101 Рік тому +29

      @@martinhawes5647 that is the point. It doesn't sound right

    • @iam_RyanBronson
      @iam_RyanBronson Рік тому +4

      Lol ringtones were lit tho

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Рік тому +1

      @@Klrfl101 tell that to all the people who acapella’d or whistled the Nokia Tune lol

  • @AskMikeWarner
    @AskMikeWarner Рік тому +872

    This is so well cut together and informative.
    While some may be disheartened by how quickly this particular song came together I hope they can also look to this for ways to think outside of the box when it comes to sharing their music on socials.
    Here’s hoping we will see more stories like this so we can learn from these creators and apply their tactics for our own growth!

    • @kennergaldamezsosa1318
      @kennergaldamezsosa1318 Рік тому +3

      All Vox content is.

    • @actuallyavailable
      @actuallyavailable Рік тому +1

      welcome to Vox

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Рік тому

      Yeah, honestly, with the part about people asking for full versions on Spotify it hit me - you can just publish all your sketches and improvisations and let the feedback of the crowd direct which ones you develop into full tracks rather than having to decide on your own. That’s kinda cool actually.

  • @Mu3azOsman
    @Mu3azOsman Рік тому +1337

    All artists are content creators now.
    Movie stars, athletes, tv-show hosts, photographers, and even musicians HAVE to create content to showcase their talent/support their art success.
    Look at all the movie stars and basketball players joining tiktok, UA-cam, and Instagram to promote themselves beyond the silver screens and basketball courts just to "stay relevant" and stay on people's radar the longest

    • @bjduncc
      @bjduncc Рік тому +14

      No not really. Most of those professions you listed already have plenty of money

    • @hermeslein6614
      @hermeslein6614 Рік тому

      China is now the kost powerful that’s why

    • @spilltea4241
      @spilltea4241 Рік тому +30

      @@bjduncc celebrities just don't want to be popular because of the money

    • @LoganNagol
      @LoganNagol Рік тому +4

      Yeah but look at all that aren’t

    • @verygoodfreelancer
      @verygoodfreelancer Рік тому +27

      it’s sad that no matter what your art form is, you also are obligated by these tech giants to express it through “content creation”

  • @LLusion
    @LLusion Рік тому +77

    this video was so well done! was hyped on a the little cameo lol
    s/o to all the homies in here.

  • @Jayfive276
    @Jayfive276 Рік тому +1949

    Wow, Jvke looks like someone grew an influencer in a lab.

    • @koschbka
      @koschbka Рік тому +61

      literally..

    • @maildaemon
      @maildaemon Рік тому +213

      He does seem pretty basic. Still, good for him

    • @DLCS-2
      @DLCS-2 Рік тому +216

      That what K-pop is.

    • @holly-gt9fy
      @holly-gt9fy Рік тому +35

      @@DLCS-2 lol, so accurate. ☠️

    • @grandre3464
      @grandre3464 Рік тому +2

      That’s pretty much what happened

  • @DivineOtter
    @DivineOtter Рік тому +874

    I'd be super interested to see what kind of longevity these viral artists end up seeing. Do they actually go on to have full successful careers, or is TikTok more of a big one hit wonder factory?

    • @preciadoalex123
      @preciadoalex123 Рік тому +34

      Like 1%

    • @sudimara7731
      @sudimara7731 Рік тому +114

      They're researching new breakout artist from 2020, so still a long way to go to judge their longevity

    • @natatatt
      @natatatt Рік тому +92

      Would be great if they did a video re-visiting this topic in a year or two to see how things went for the artists.

    • @firstname4653
      @firstname4653 Рік тому +45

      some of them definitely do, look at lil nas x and 24kGoldn. and there’s a lot of others like jvke or salem ilse (who wasn’t part of this video but just as another example) who might not be the most famous but are definitely able to have a full successful careers after the tiktok hits

    • @ohsehun6470
      @ohsehun6470 Рік тому +30

      depends on the artist. lil nas x and doja cat were able to sustain their fame

  • @SecretSquirrelFun
    @SecretSquirrelFun Рік тому +316

    Wow, you people really did SO much work on this. I’m amazed at the detail you were able to glean from the data. Impressive is an understatement. This must have felt like opening up the biggest “can of worms” EVER.
    Fantastic, and so good, I watched it twice.
    Thank you for sharing this video with me, much better 🙂🐿

    • @martinhawes5647
      @martinhawes5647 Рік тому +3

      Bit of an exaggeration.
      This is just what research looks like.
      But this might be the first time you’ve seen investigative journalism.

    • @rabbitazteca23
      @rabbitazteca23 Рік тому +1

      @@martinhawes5647 I am a data scientist and I'd say they did REALLY REALLY well in using data to gain insights! I am not familiar with investigative journalism and from the ones I have watched, the level of data gathering, preprocessing, and analysis and visualization is really impressive on this one. This is something I do on my job to lead clients to choose decisions that generates the best growth.

  • @LesbianCinemaCircuit
    @LesbianCinemaCircuit Рік тому +32

    an internet version of watching a song on MTV and then going into the store to buy the album. Tiktok seems to be the new way to introduce new artists

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Рік тому

      Oh that’s a great analogy.

  • @papyrusted
    @papyrusted Рік тому +235

    Now I understand why they’re pushing all the artist to do viral TickTock’s

    • @hermeslein6614
      @hermeslein6614 Рік тому +7

      Becuase China the most powerful

    • @s5r581
      @s5r581 Рік тому +1

      @@hermeslein6614 powerful what?
      Because they Banned china people from the west and when the song get viral and no politics then china can see them then it's get popular?
      Or something else?

    • @thegnarledpirate9198
      @thegnarledpirate9198 Рік тому +8

      @@hermeslein6614 China is conquering the west through TikTok. I will never bow to the Chinese!
      *Orders sushi from Ifood*

    • @melunz8138
      @melunz8138 Рік тому +43

      @@thegnarledpirate9198 sushi is japanese food

    • @Putt-Putt
      @Putt-Putt Рік тому +2

      @@melunz8138 tells you a lot of these mindless anti-china sentiments if they can't even differentiate between China and Japan.

  • @ElyWaves.
    @ElyWaves. Рік тому +29

    The thing people don’t realize is even if you’re a one hit wonder, if you retain ownership of your song, you’re pretty much set to never work another day in your life. You’ll get monthly checks basically forever. Ownership is everything. I really fw the idea of licensing your music > selling it. Think that’s the new model indie artists who want to get into the big leagues should look for.

    • @niji.sateenkaari8835
      @niji.sateenkaari8835 3 місяці тому

      same goes for stories. Remember the guy who wrote the witcher series and sold the rights for...9000 $ or such? And remember George Lucas, who did it right.

  • @raphaeldecastropereira6987
    @raphaeldecastropereira6987 Рік тому +83

    Earworm really needs to have it's own series like glad you asked and explained

    • @ophello
      @ophello Рік тому

      Its. Not “it’s”.

    • @cupofjoen
      @cupofjoen Рік тому

      And Daniel Kim

  • @BoxoutMusic
    @BoxoutMusic Рік тому +75

    I was one of those 125 artists who got their big break from a TikTok hit in 2020! My song "I Just Want To Be The One You Love" exploded because of some popular video trends, and it allowed me to launch my music career.

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +1

      would you say your song going viral was random or did you make it with the intention of people starting trends with it? and about how long did it take to blow up?

    • @BoxoutMusic
      @BoxoutMusic Рік тому +9

      @@Sam-cq9us It was totally random! The song that went viral is one I only put about 2.5 hours of effort into and then forgot about. I never expected it to go anywhere lol

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +1

      @@BoxoutMusic how long did it take to catch on immediately or weeks?

    • @BoxoutMusic
      @BoxoutMusic Рік тому +4

      @@Sam-cq9us I posted the song in summer 2019, and it didn’t even catch on until around March 2020

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +4

      @@BoxoutMusic wow interesting i wish there was some way we could detect it or something. But it seems to be completely random (on top of already being a good song). Have you had any success after that? Like long term.

  • @kailengray2822
    @kailengray2822 Рік тому +60

    Vox never missed with answering the question no one care to asks. this video is top tier informative.

  • @mink03
    @mink03 Рік тому +180

    An amazing doc, but as a musician heartbreaking to watch. Adding all of these social networks into the mix, it adds a double edged sword when it comes to getting your music out there. Now more than ever, technology has made it easier for anyone to go out and put out a song.

    • @iam_RyanBronson
      @iam_RyanBronson Рік тому +7

      I disagree - its inspiring to me!
      Anyone can do it
      Many will quit
      Many aren’t good enough
      Many aren’t patient enough
      The strong & the persistent will survive!
      Its not who ya know anymore

    • @maebliss344
      @maebliss344 Рік тому +10

      @@iam_RyanBronson I agree with him…it only adds to the noise out there, and there are plenty of talented artists who don’t want to be on social media at all, much less spend hours daily figuring out how to hijack algorithms. I mean…kudos to these fellas for figuring it out, but it’s going to eliminate a lot of talented musicians and songwriters from being discovered just because they don’t have a TikTok. Michael is correct-it’s adding noise that new artists have to cut through. There are obvious benefits, and I am one of those folks that turned down a contract with a label because it would have meant relinquishing rights to our songs, but in my case, keeping integrity meant breaking up the band because my mate wanted to sell out, and I didn’t. I wish my band mate had seen the value in what I was trying to do for us like Edith Whiskers, and we were getting an organic following quickly with no release of an EP or single, but I wore soooo many hats that I felt like I barely had time to write, and I can’t imagine adding TikTok to the mix. Now I invest 0 time in music because as a writer, knowing the rates the Gov set on streaming royalties, I just don’t see the ROI being there/it makes more sense to use my STEM degree….my understanding was that touring and licensing is the only real way to earn as a songwriter anymore, but I have been out of the industry for around 4 yrs now.

    • @JacyndaMinor
      @JacyndaMinor Рік тому +1

      @@maebliss344 you are lucky though, in a way, since you have a degree you can make a good living and just focus on your art without any pressure. In the war of art he says, “if you were the last person left on earth, and no one would ever see it/hear it, would you do it then? Would you still make your art?
      Success should never be the only justification you accept for taking the time out of your schedule to feed your soul. No one simply “doesn’t have the time” for something, you choose what matters to you and you make the time for it. I do hope that you will prioritize your art. I spent many years working full time and coming home and painting all night. I’d have to request vacation days for art shows and I’d barely get done in time. Eventually I was able to switch to part time, then to full time art, and now I’m going back into working part time again. What matters most is at the end of the day, did you find beauty? Did it find you? You deserve to feed that need in your soul, if it’s there, to connect with the universe that made you- even if it never pays a dime.

    • @maebliss344
      @maebliss344 Рік тому

      @@JacyndaMinor Just to clarify….I’ve always done both, but extenuating circumstances and led me to instead of focusing on music, more so on gardening and other talents. I felt that music wasn’t really my first love. Writing is, and though songwriting is fun, I really need to dedicate that focus on one of the three books I’ve been forming in my mind for the last decade. Prior to music, I did more visual art and have won awards for that. I feel like music can become a bit of an idol, and I think it’s healthy to explore all one’s talents. Plus, to be blunt, not a fan of the music industry in general.

  • @caseysmith5310
    @caseysmith5310 Рік тому +39

    I am personally a concert promoter, and we have found that there is a very small window where a "TikTok Artist" is actually worth any tickets...this TikTok music world is still relatively young so it's hard to know the long term effects of it all, but what I would be really curious to know is the data on "TikTok Artists" and how it actually translates to ticket sales and touring. This would be a great follow up video.

  • @krishbbk2
    @krishbbk2 Рік тому +129

    This is just brilliant. Cannot understate the depth of data and insights, following up with artists and understanding the reality of it all.
    Don't change vox. You're the only journalism institute I regularly follow.

  • @SM--
    @SM-- Рік тому +323

    I'm only in my late 20's and I felt so old trying to understand the beginning of the video and why exactly Jake became so popular. To me it sounds like he just started restreaming other people's viral videos to game the algorithm to become popular himself? And I don't understand how adding a small vocal bit of your own at the end of other people's songs makes you an artist.
    Maybe it's because I don't understand what happened, but to me it seems like he's just shamelessly riding on the popularity of others to get his name out there so he can inject his own content to other people's music to profit out of it. Seems really unoriginal and shameless to me.

    • @angrygopnik2317
      @angrygopnik2317 Рік тому +96

      That's how capitalism works

    • @fandroid6491
      @fandroid6491 Рік тому +31

      I'm only in my 1st decade and I feel like my age is 50 from watching this video.

    • @emmetharrigan5234
      @emmetharrigan5234 Рік тому +149

      yeah that's basically it. Ride the virality of another artist, get some gimmick "it factor" like pretending your mom produced the song you actually made, and be young and attractive so the algorithm boosts your boo boo music.

    • @roeland195
      @roeland195 Рік тому +36

      Oof harsh take but I agree. That's a lot of what the entertainment industries are in general though, always riding on what worked in the past.

    • @chillin5703
      @chillin5703 Рік тому +50

      Well, no. If I understood, he makes a mashup of two songs that are popular (as in, he mixes, edits, etc - similar to a remix), then pretends his mom made them. He added his own vocal to the end of one to see if it could work, and then from that point he started making more original stuff.

  • @MyBroSux24
    @MyBroSux24 Рік тому +176

    Now you got this data, can you also give an insight about old songs that out of nowhere get picked up go viral and streamed massively and even rising to the top of the chart? I mean Songs like "Heat Waves " by glass animals is in the uk top 40 for almost 2 consecutive years. How? How can tiktok be such a influence to finding old tracks and shoot through the roof statistically

    • @gamesgames3318
      @gamesgames3318 Рік тому +33

      Yes even old songs from other languages. I'm amazed with the diversity and age of these viral old songs.

  • @TheRealityofFake
    @TheRealityofFake Рік тому +127

    Awesome video! Also, I think it'll be interesting to dive more into the question of are musicians just a type of content creator. I think of this especially in the context of kpop where it's not just the music that's important, but the style, the personalities, the interactions with fans, etc etc

  • @ZonieMusic
    @ZonieMusic Рік тому +326

    Caution! Remember the genre of music you make also matters...
    Less mainstream genres or those not fit with the usual younger audience of Tiktok users will probably not do well.
    EDIT: The keyword here is 'probably'. This is coming from a 20-year old who likes experimenting with mixing orchestra and electronic sounds. If you want to make non-mainstream music, go ahead!

    • @tungochuy
      @tungochuy Рік тому +8

      I mean that's the case and you cannot build a loyal fan base through making mainstream songs

    • @ZeusFeni
      @ZeusFeni Рік тому +18

      Keyword: Probably.
      Attempt anyway, you have nothing to lose

    • @fandroid6491
      @fandroid6491 Рік тому +8

      I'm proud that I'm not one of the Gen Z people who likes the garbage that is nowadays trendy music. Literally any pop music before the 2000s

    • @MrJosexph
      @MrJosexph Рік тому +69

      @@fandroid6491 Take it from me, you don't want to be that guy. Who's to say you aren't the one listening to garbage music? I only say that because its all relative and based on preference. Just because its trendy doesn't mean its bad, nor does it mean that you shouldn't listen to it. Like what you want and don't judge those around you, or else be ready for the same stones to be tossed.

    • @tiffanysandmeier4753
      @tiffanysandmeier4753 Рік тому +37

      @@fandroid6491 @JoeyKisling also it is a historical pattern. You do realize that bands that are considered classics now had detractors that called them garbage when the songs were new. I am not saying all new trendy music will become classics, but some of them will.

  • @eduardoco789
    @eduardoco789 Рік тому +78

    Im happy to see that these fresh and young artists are getting wiser on their decision especially on their career and kudos to the dude who said the line "im their biggest nightmare really because im over, you know, 19".

  • @ericcartmansh
    @ericcartmansh Рік тому +45

    I can't even ballpark the amount of time you must have spent just compiling the underlying stats for this video. Would absolutely love to see the source sheet, if not for the data then at least for the way the sheet was structured. So so so many ways to slice and dice the data! 15/10 video

  • @purnangshupaul
    @purnangshupaul Рік тому +58

    What a fantastic research. Kudos to you guys for making this

  • @JohnnyFiction
    @JohnnyFiction Рік тому +165

    I can't help but feel more that Music isn’t as much music for the love of music anymore, as much as it’s become an algorithm you exploit for tiny viral TikTok moments, curated for young people will smaller and smaller attention spans. It's truly become "content" over art. Not all thankfully, but more so now than ever sadly.

    • @dave5194
      @dave5194 Рік тому +26

      mhm. There was another YTber who talked about this problem. "The problem with the internet that no one is talking about" was the title. Very easy for artists to start off making content to support their art and then find themselves becoming more and more dependent on making "content" instead of the art that they want to make

    • @dissonantdreams
      @dissonantdreams Рік тому +29

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this is a dystopian development for the music industry, and all forms of art in general.

    • @JohnnyFiction
      @JohnnyFiction Рік тому +4

      @@dave5194 yeah that makes a lot of sense

    • @JohnnyFiction
      @JohnnyFiction Рік тому +4

      @@dissonantdreams let’s hope gen alpha turns it around

    • @Remonlore
      @Remonlore Рік тому +3

      are these the new commercial of this gen....

  • @Internetiswatchingu
    @Internetiswatchingu Рік тому +1

    So glad to see this series return! I’ve missed it. What a great way to start it back up! Excellent work

  • @Taby_G
    @Taby_G Рік тому +13

    Data analyst here, you guys did an amazing job. I don’t know if you’re just showing excel for the video graphics or you actually did some data analysis through excel, if you did. I take my hat off to you, amazing job.

    • @Matojeje
      @Matojeje Рік тому +1

      What's the program you'd actually use?

  • @freddywhite
    @freddywhite Рік тому +5

    Fascinating work, as always. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into these 22 minutes!

  • @SuperMustache555
    @SuperMustache555 Рік тому +5

    The reporting here is incredible! The video editing elevated it to another level!

  • @hollowillow
    @hollowillow Рік тому +1

    EXCELLENT investigation, I'm geeking out hard at all the things you guys had to do to come up with the final numbers. Great work 💞

  • @jhasuabullones4278
    @jhasuabullones4278 Рік тому

    Omg i love your videos SOOOOO MUCH, I’ve been waiting for them and was worried maybe you wouldn’t continue but again the level of investigative and análisis work that you do is outstanding … THANK YOU REALLY!!!!,!!!

  • @jessine
    @jessine Рік тому +6

    This was fantastic. Just like every other video Vox puts out. I'm blown away by the quality, relevance, fascination and entertainment value of your videos. Thank you so much.

  • @marinemanaphy101
    @marinemanaphy101 Рік тому +24

    It’s interesting to me to see which artists are bad at this. There’s one in particular (not going to name names bc I don’t want to be mean) who had a really good song that I liked but he *refused* to release it until he’d gotten enough tiktok attention on it. For literal months, this clip would come up on my FYP, and half the time it’d be the artist himself saying something like “Help this get more plays and I’ll release it” or just replying to literally every comment with another clip where he used the audio. Eventually the comments turned against him more and more. People were annoyed that he didn’t release it. He started losing followers and his likes declined. Eventually he released the song, but it was kinda too late - people were annoyed at the gimmicky “give me more likes and maybe I’ll release it” attitude, and the stalling, and whatever else. He didn’t really get the listeners or the streams, and I’ll fully admit, I liked the song but got tired of following along for a couple months and I didn’t really listen either by the time it came out. A lot of these artists who get a viral tiktok song have to be able to move fast and move correctly, and for a lot of them it’s just not in their wheelhouse.
    When people talk about it being hard work, they’re not kidding. A lot of aspects of pop culture are like steering a ship, in the sense that all changes are slow and it takes a while to see the impact - but tiktok is like go karts, where you can start and stop suddenly and make fast turns to or away from something. It’s not just working hard, but it’s also having an understanding of timing and of how to build hype, and that level of strategic thinking is a lot to try to handle when you’re a new artist without experience who suddenly has to figure out how to handle their first-ever release potentially being a number one hit on spotify.

  • @chengyiq3066
    @chengyiq3066 Рік тому +4

    The amount of work & research put into this video alone is simply amazing, and it's only an understatement!!

  • @alexanderndace8875
    @alexanderndace8875 Рік тому

    One of the best documentaries I have watched this year. I wish every upcoming and emerging sees this. Incredible job from The Pudding and Vox.

  • @joshupton
    @joshupton Рік тому +54

    So good! Came in expecting it to be a classic "TikTok is ruining everything" piece, left with a whole lot of nuance around the current and future of the music industry. Really great stuff👏👏👏

    • @Alexander-mh2ky
      @Alexander-mh2ky Рік тому +6

      If you didn’t notice by the video but tiktok is ruining musical creativity by forcing todays artists to center their songs around a catchy or “viral” part of their song. This leads to unoriginalality and degrading of music to limit itself to the catchiness of its chorus

  • @folabiayonrinde4185
    @folabiayonrinde4185 Рік тому +12

    The storytelling, the data visualisation, the animation in the this video 😮‍💨👌🏾 so so so good

  • @Emily-br6bv
    @Emily-br6bv Рік тому +1

    Really great video! I don't know anything about the music industry but I do know a lot about tiktok and most of the music I listen to nowadays has come directly from tiktok. I appreciated all the hard work that went into this video!

  • @SpanishJohn
    @SpanishJohn Рік тому +1

    Your vids always manage to touch me. Keep the great work coming.

  • @iqbal55
    @iqbal55 Рік тому +6

    Incredible amounts of research done for this video and the visual output and overall message was astounding. Kudos Vox! Also all that stuff about having to generate fresh content 2-5 times PER DAY to feed the algorithm gods made me suffocate a bit, since I practically don't exist on social media

  • @coolthought8456
    @coolthought8456 Рік тому +7

    This single video is the most insightful ever for the current trend in the music industry. The most important thing is asking the right questions to get the most valuable insights and you guys totally nail them. Great job. I have a question with something mentioned in the video. WIth an output like 3 to 4 post a day in TIktok, is the quality going bad? Are the listener sense of good music is going bad?

  • @user-sv2ln1sv3v
    @user-sv2ln1sv3v Рік тому +1

    Such a great documentary! Thank you for the efforts to shine some light on the industry

  • @LouisLuzuka
    @LouisLuzuka Рік тому

    Thank you for sharing this with us!!
    Super cool to see the behind the scenes

  • @spicea8086
    @spicea8086 Рік тому +3

    Wonderful and very informative video! I have been loving this earworm series, and would love to see more content on topics like insights on the music business, trends in the music industry and technology, etc!!

  • @jus2mangue
    @jus2mangue Рік тому +19

    Really interesting video. Thank you so much for all your research !

  • @codishaa
    @codishaa Рік тому +2

    This is fascinating research. Kudos to yall! As a social media manager, I need more videos like this please!! I also love that yall mentioned these artists need to go on tour to expand their exposure. In real life experiences are just as important as the digital.

  • @legofan123456789able
    @legofan123456789able Рік тому

    Estelle and Matt - WOW! Thanks for this and all the time invested!

  • @vucanh7360
    @vucanh7360 Рік тому +4

    Wow! Thank you Vox for such a nice research-intensive work 👍

  • @farnellnewton
    @farnellnewton Рік тому +6

    First of all WOW! Vox, thank you for this and you did an amazing job on bringing to light what a lot of us are doing out here in music. Some are going to see this and see doom and gloom and others are going to take this information and put it to use and seize the day.

  • @ardaduck735
    @ardaduck735 Рік тому

    Thank you so much for making this video I've been interested in this topic for quite a long time now.

  • @Fritzelgard
    @Fritzelgard Рік тому +7

    the amount of work put into this is incredible, bravo Vox!

  • @AgentMaayan
    @AgentMaayan Рік тому +29

    From a data analyst perspective, this is so well made and well researched. Super interesting, thank you!

  • @truthseeker6843
    @truthseeker6843 Рік тому +33

    This is huge, the most useful thing I watched this month for sure. As a person who is dreaming about being an artist, this is just instruction to how, and I am grateful for that

  • @SteveLionProducer
    @SteveLionProducer Рік тому +1

    Thank you thank you thank you for this type of content its so appreciated as a music producer 🙏🏼

  • @JMsurYT
    @JMsurYT Рік тому

    The depth of the research for a UA-cam video is outstanding. Kudos to you Vox for putting the effort !

  • @JVKE
    @JVKE Рік тому +34

    hey that’s me :)

    • @leaveitorsinkit242
      @leaveitorsinkit242 Рік тому

      You’re one of the few artists I know who releases slowed down + reverb versions of their own songs. 😂

    • @SaltedPickles
      @SaltedPickles Рік тому

      Hmmm 4 likes L

    • @Panda-ss3zh
      @Panda-ss3zh Рік тому

      Hey Jake come to mongolia!

  • @ArbysMom
    @ArbysMom Рік тому +10

    Estelle hits it out of the park again! She is my favorite Vox producer. Kudos to her, and Matt, and all those involved with this.

  • @juliapietro4615
    @juliapietro4615 Рік тому +1

    This is fantastic, thank you for your work on this! When TikTok first came out I got rather intrigued by this phenomenon, and I'm glad you amazing people with resources and connections were able to turn this curiosity into data.

  • @kingace6186
    @kingace6186 Рік тому

    I love how deep and amazingly positive this video was! I very much appreciated this. Very informative; very engaging; very journalistic.

  • @andredenegri8633
    @andredenegri8633 Рік тому +3

    Kudos to the work and research put into this video!

  • @Vulioll
    @Vulioll Рік тому

    This is a incredible study. I love this incredible data analysis! Thanks for the incredible content!

  • @sum808s
    @sum808s Рік тому

    Well made video, amazing research! Looking forward to more videos like this!!!

  • @k.k8791
    @k.k8791 Рік тому +35

    The world is changing and everything moves so fast ..everything is weird

    • @fakhri9156
      @fakhri9156 Рік тому +4

      It's both interesting and terrifying

    • @petrus9067
      @petrus9067 Рік тому +1

      It's excruciatingly scary for the future since you just have no idea what will be going on

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L Рік тому

      @@petrus9067 man, I remember 15 years ago I was like “it’s so exciting, the possibilities are endless” focused on the good possibilities. Now I’m older I’m like “oh god, all the possibilities” in terror about the bad ones.

  • @ydid687
    @ydid687 Рік тому +5

    thorough, insightful work, always appreciated by everyone

  • @kilaswas
    @kilaswas Рік тому +2

    Another great video. Well done by all that was involved.

  • @ConnorAidan
    @ConnorAidan Рік тому +1

    such a well made video! Congrats to the team that produced this!

  • @jomertomale
    @jomertomale Рік тому +15

    Is music just content now?
    The real answer: Yes. Most of them. Ever since. Even from Beethoven's time. But some still are. Art.

  • @crescentris
    @crescentris Рік тому +39

    this was so helpful and informative as someone looking into what the modern day musician career path looks like now! thank you!

    • @WyessEnt
      @WyessEnt Рік тому

      Your not a musician if you need this information, music is creating something because you love it.
      Of course we look up to all the big name artists due to their fame but the real reason you should want to do it is because you want to create something people will love.
      Instead everyone wants to be famous and chase fame that doesn’t equate to something being good.
      Make something that makes you happy and others happy.

  • @joanne0
    @joanne0 Рік тому +2

    would have loved more analysis of the excel spreadsheet or maybe a video more focused on its findings. loved this btw!

  • @wheresbren
    @wheresbren Рік тому

    I am more impressed by the research you guys did in this doc, very informative!

  • @neilharris1440
    @neilharris1440 Рік тому +14

    Thanks foir this. It would be great if you did a part 2 on this to analyze whether it was a better decision (at least financially) for the artists to stay independent or not.

  • @Isaiahmightbecool
    @Isaiahmightbecool Рік тому +67

    The fact that this channel puts so much effort in the videos.

  • @exzactlyvideo
    @exzactlyvideo Рік тому +1

    FINALLY a video exploring this topic! LOVE

  • @nihalm2684
    @nihalm2684 Рік тому

    What an amazing and throughly insightful video. Thank you for painstakingly making this

  • @mrjinglejonny
    @mrjinglejonny Рік тому +3

    how much i just learned from this video isn't even countable. Also, the production and amount of work put into this video was a lot but it was worth it. Thanks Vox

  • @leaveitorsinkit242
    @leaveitorsinkit242 Рік тому +37

    This is the problem with TikTok:
    People have gotten so used to hours worth of fifteen second content that they lack the discipline (or attention span) needed to listen to just one full-fledged album.
    This is bad news for songs and albums.

    • @VivekPatel-ze6jy
      @VivekPatel-ze6jy Рік тому +8

      I've gone the other way - from listening only to singles to taking my time getting to know each album
      Yes, albums aren't as essential as before, but TikTok often makes people superfans, who feel compelled to listen to entire discographies

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +2

      can you expound on this? i'm genuinely interested.

    • @eko9554
      @eko9554 Рік тому +1

      I've been using Tik Tok ever since its popularity. I've listened to many songs that I heard from there. I do agree that some people only listen to 1 song on an album. But remember not everyone is a big music fan like me. Majority of songs are singles, singles intend to be more popular than songs from albums. I've seen some artists where a popular single isn't on any of their albums or don't have any albums at all. This could also apply to UA-cam. This is why some artists make songs from albums turn into singles.

    • @Sam-cq9us
      @Sam-cq9us Рік тому +1

      @@eko9554 How would you describe a single vs a song that's just on the album does a single sound different to you? how would you describe it?

    • @eko9554
      @eko9554 Рік тому +2

      @@Sam-cq9usI'm not talking about the sound. I'm talking about how a song releases in order it become popular. Singles tend be more popular.

  • @artest83
    @artest83 Рік тому

    Brilliant video! Loved learning what the data had to say through all of it!

  • @cloudgoose
    @cloudgoose Рік тому +2

    Really great reporting. I feel like I understand the pros and cons of Spotify better now, and the music industry better now.

  • @sunflower-zk4jr
    @sunflower-zk4jr Рік тому +3

    Very interesting topic, thank you for the hard work put into this video!

  • @twinkletime2982
    @twinkletime2982 Рік тому +3

    Great study. Would love to hear more. It’s so awesome to see musicians start to take back and own their creations. With the advent of iTunes and similar services where artists get literally nothing, I’ve been talking about artist taking back control for awhile so it’s really cool to see it happening. The industry is hard to break into and when they do, especially the past 20+ years, everybody but the creator seems to really reap the profits. And love the idea Tom Rosenthal launched…investing in the artist if an artist wants to work with a label. Brilliant!

  • @sirmarky9991
    @sirmarky9991 Рік тому

    This is like a Qualitative Research put into a video. Kudos Vox. Always great video as always.

  • @globalwojtek
    @globalwojtek Рік тому

    Absolutely amazing video, a perfect merge of fresh analytics and slightly older knowledge. Thanks!

  • @Yaqins
    @Yaqins Рік тому +10

    Another quality documentaries from Vox. Very well done guys.

  • @geniuspeng
    @geniuspeng Рік тому +5

    It’s amazing how many underlying trends you can uncover by diving into the data

  • @nima07111
    @nima07111 Рік тому

    Thank you Vox, for putting this much effort into creating these kind of contents. I'd really appreciate your teams' hard works. just a greater content after a great one. keep it up! ❤

  • @tummy_jr
    @tummy_jr Рік тому

    Respect to the amount of work/research you guys do for a 10-15 minute video/content. Love you guys. Keep it up 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥