TikTokhas changed how we consume music, and it’s not just about shorter attention spans. This social media platform, with 1.9 billion users, now plays a role in how we discover music. A single 30-second snippet is often all it takes for a song to go viral, hit the charts, and catapult an artist to fame. And this is not theoretical.Billboardpublished an article on how a potential TikTok ban would disrupt the Hot 100 charts, citing less indie/lesser-known artists receiving recognition and the type of songs that get listed would shift. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. TikTok doesn’t merely change who makes it to the charts. It reshapes how artists define success and the extreme lengths some go to achieve it.
TikTok Revives Old Songs for New Generations
One of TikTok’s most surprising impacts is how it breathes new life into old songs. Billboard noted that “older songs are becoming new hits,” citingKate Bush’s’Running Up That Hill,' which reached the top five in 2022, nearly four decades after its original release, thanks toStranger Thingsandpeople resharing that iconic moment on TikTok.
TikTok Introduced Me to My New Favorite Singer, Tate McRae
Tate McRae has been coined the Britney Spears of her generation.
It’s not just Bush.ABBA’s’Voulez-Vous,‘Boney M’s’Rasputin,’ andLouis Prima’s’Che La Luna’have all found new audiences among Millennials and Gen Z users. TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t care when a song is made; it just needs to match the vibe of a trend. For legacy artists, that means unexpected comebacks. It’s a way for listeners to discover timeless music in modern contexts.
TikTok has become a game-changer for indie artists when compared to YouTube. Unlike YouTube, where content often depends on homepage placement, TikTok’s algorithm gives almost anyone a shot at going viral. Users discover new content by swiping, including emerging artists who can gain massive followers from a single clip.
One example is Canadian rapperbbno$, whose quirky tracks are TikTok staples, orTom CardyandOCT,who’ve found fanbases through their comedic music compositions.Go-Jobuilt his music career through TikTok videos, which led to his viral hit ‘Mrs. Hollywood,’ which generated over 60 million Spotify streams and led to him representing Australia at the 2025Eurovision Song Contest. And, of course, mainstream icons likeDoja CatandLil Nas Xowe their careers thanks to TikTok trends and challenges. TikTok provides these artists with exposure and streaming numbers and opens doors to real-world opportunities. Unfortunately, this leads to saturation and competition.
TikTok Hits Rely on The First Few Seconds of Attention
Artists now focus on a viral hook to grab an audience on TikTok. After all, those few seconds get used in a viral trend or challenge. But this has led to songwriters focusing on those few seconds rather than the whole song to grab short-term success.
There have been songs that sound great on TikTok but fall flat when listened to in its entirety, making it clear that it was only a designed platform and making the Spotify version an afterthought. However, some artists deliver full-length tracks that live up to their snippets.Joel Sunny’s ‘Luminary’has a chokehold on the#BookTokcommunity, as the violinist ensured that the full version is just as enchanting as the viral clips.
Fortunately, not everyone has fallen into this songwriting trend yet, as some songs went viral without relying too much on the chorus. An example isTaylor Swift, where different parts of her song would wind up in various TikTok videos. An example is “Wildest Dreams,” where the bridge was used in many videos around 2022. Still, this “hook-first” pressure shifts how music is made. Artists are tailoring their songs to become viral hits rather than creating something artistic with some longevity. For a song to succeed, it needs to have a viral challenge attached to it. Those first 30 seconds are all that matters, and it’s not just indie artists noticing this.
Record Labels Are Playing It Safe Thanks to TikTok’s Ease of Use
In 2022,Halseyposted a now-deleted video revealing that her label wouldn’t release her album unless they could “fake a viral moment” on TikTok. She’s not alone. According toThe Conversation, other artists have reported similar demands, with record labels pressuring them to create TikTok content despite proving they are successful artists. Labels would rather pass that responsibility onto artists instead of investing in marketing teams, expecting them to go viral as a prerequisite for a release. This cost-saving strategy undermines artists’ creative freedom. It ignores the fact that not every musician is or wants to be an influencer.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. There have been some success stories where authentic marketing led to a viral moment and a chart-topping success. For example,Charli XCX’s “BratSummer” campaign in 2024. It dominated social media with genuine fan engagement and wasn’t forced; it was made out of love. Charli and her team ensured that her album and the marketing surrounding it would be memorable and made out of love and passion, and it worked as people outside her fanbase like politicians and brands, were referencing the album. Labels shouldn’t rely on TikTok’s ease of use and fast algorithms. They need to take risks, especially when they have the budget.
TikTok Levels the Playing Field for Everyone Making Music
TikTok’s impact on the music industry is that it has made music discovery much easier. Artists now have more tools and resources to find their audience without traditional gatekeepers, creating an even playing field with established artists. This is a win-win situation, as established musicians can find renewed fame, and newcomers can build careers without the backing of a major label. But this ease of use and community-driven nature is a double-edged sword, thus impacting the music industry and how we consume this form of entertainment, as there is now pressure to “game” the algorithm and prioritize trend-readiness over musical quality.
TikTok has changed the way people find success. Whether you’re a veteran actor from yesteryear or a teenager producing tracks in your room, TikTok offers a platform to be seen and heard. But with this new power comes new expectations. While it is a priority to go viral, those who remain authentic are more likely to thrive.
