The TikTok-ification of Music: How the Social Network Is Changing the Industry
TikTok's influence on contemporary music.
Over the past few years, TikTok has become not just a platform for entertaining videos, but one of the biggest factors shaping the music industry. Songs that go viral on the app quickly climb the charts. A track's success, in other words, often depends less on its depth or lyrical content and more on how well it fits the short-video format. This phenomenon has its own name: the TikTok-ification of music.
The DeTalks team looked into exactly how TikTok is changing how songs are perceived, created, and promoted.
TikTok as a Trend Generator
One of TikTok's defining features is its unique algorithm, which promotes content based on user interest. That means any video set to any song can go viral — regardless of whether it's by a global star or an unknown musician.
Doja Cat's 'Say So,' for instance, firmly cemented itself in trends back in 2020 thanks to a viral dance created by a social media user. Others repeated the choreography so often that the track eventually topped the Billboard charts. A similar thing happened with Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' — the song spread thanks to videos of users changing into cowboy-style outfits during the first few seconds of the chorus.
Another example is Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license,' which won over TikTok thanks to its emotional undertones. Users mass-produced videos about their own experiences with unrequited love, using the song's dramatic lines.
Changes in Song Structure
Since TikTok is built around short videos, musicians adapt their songs to fit the format. Because of this, many tracks have gotten shorter — running 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. Intros are getting cut down, choruses are becoming catchier and more memorable, and lyrics are written so certain phrases can be adapted for trends.
Rodney Jerkins, head of the songwriting department at Berklee College of Music, has described how musicians are forced to adapt to the platform's rapidly shifting trends, or their tracks simply go unnoticed, explaining that performers need to carefully choose what to lead with, since a song's lyrics and melody need to grab attention instantly, and that this is exactly why some artists open a song with the chorus without giving it away in full, leaving an element of intrigue so listeners want to hear more.
Jerkins has explained that the focus now falls only on the most exciting parts, and that this has become the new formula for a song's virality, adding that most of the songs that made it onto the first TikTok Billboard Top 50 don't touch on serious themes in their lyrics.
The structure of songs has changed too: instead of the classic 'verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus,' the model 'chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus' is now favored. This is done to grab the listener's attention right away with the track's most striking moment and encourage them to engage with it.
The bridge has all but disappeared, and the second verse is also gradually fading out. Nicky Youre's song 'Sunroof,' for instance, follows this structure: chorus — verse — pre-chorus — chorus — instrumental break — pre-chorus, and chorus again.
Artists' Popularity, and TikTok's Effect on It
Music labels are increasingly using TikTok as a testing ground for new songs. Before an official release, tracks get posted to the app, in hopes they'll go viral ahead of time. Singer Halsey, for instance, said her label won't let her release a song in full until a clip of it starts trending on TikTok. Similar complaints have come from Florence Welch and other artists.
But a hit on the app doesn't guarantee lasting popularity. Artists are forced to constantly maintain audience interest, writing songs with viral algorithms in mind, which negatively affects their originality.
One example of short-lived TikTok-driven popularity is Steve Lacy and his song Bad Habit. At concerts, the artist found that audiences showed up only to film a short clip set to that one track, without knowing any of his other songs. A similar situation befell New Zealand singer BENEE: her track 'Supalonely' made her more recognizable, but her later releases couldn't reach the same level of popularity.
TikTok continues to change the way songs are created, promoted, and perceived. The app gives new artists a shot at success, but doesn't guarantee it will last, and it shapes both the structure of songs and broader musical trends.
The platform has already proven itself as a trend generator, and its influence on the industry will only keep growing. Whether that turns out to be a positive or negative development will depend on how well musicians and listeners adapt to these new realities.