What would happen to the music industry if TikTok is banned?
For the last three years, TikTok has held a stranglehold over the entire music industry. The social media app is still the Wild West in terms of regulation and has become a shortcut to mainstream success for artists. Its algorithm can seemingly pluck a song out of obscurity and transform it into an international hit. As a result, artists have started bending their artistry in a bid to “go viral” on the platform, which has become the premier gatekeeper in the music industry.
Due to the unexpected growth of TikTok, some artists feel as if they can no longer solely be musicians, and now they need to be content creators too. Given that the platform has become a popular app across the globe, countless acts have it to thank for their success. Take Glass Animals, for example. Before the release of their single, ‘Heat Waves’, they were a moderately successful indie band on both sides of the Atlantic, but no track from their first three albums charted. However, thanks to TikTok, ‘Heat Waves’ topped the charts in the United States, and it has since been streamed over two billion times on Spotify alone.
If a song trends on the platform, it can change the course of an entire career. Therefore, labels have forced musicians to try their hand at becoming viral sensations, and some levels of artistry have now become secondary. Mainstream pop songs have been seemingly tailored to be used as a sound on TikTok, such as Sam Ryder’s ‘Space Man’, Britain’s entry at Eurovision in 2022. Additionally, Ryder was selected as an entrant for the competition partially because he has millions of followers on the platform, and the strategy paid off.
However, even when a song becomes a viral hit on the platform, it doesn’t necessarily lead to the land of milk and honey. Steve Lacy’s track, ‘Bad Habit’, went to number one on the Billboard 200 because of TikTok, and it also led to him selling out his tour off the back of the song. Yet, those who attended the shows were largely focused on the 15 seconds of the track, which went viral and filming that moment rather than enjoying Lacy’s whole set.
Now, the future of TikTok has been thrown into disarray after the US government said it should be sold by the Chinese parent company ByteDance, or its future is at risk. Government officials believe the platform is a data protection risk because, by law, the Chinese government could ask to view their data, and it has been viewed as a “national security risk”.
A spokesperson for TikTok has confirmed they have been contacted by Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) about “divestiture” from the Chinese state. “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access,” they said. “The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems,” the spokesperson continued.
Due to data protection issues, TikTok is already banned on government phones in the US, Canada and the EU. The United Kingdom has now followed suit with Oliver Dowden MP saying: “The security of sensitive government information must come first”.
A ban for TikTok feels as inevitable as it does for the disposable vape manufacturer Elf Bar, two Chinese contributions to British youth culture which have caused equal damage. While TikTok can be used as a positive tool for new artists and “going viral” can be the difference between pursuing music on a full or part-time basis, the lawless nature of the app makes it destined for the graveyard.
As someone who regularly scrolls the app and can quickly lose 20 minutes to the platform while sitting in bed, I know how dangerously addictive TikTok can be. However, while it’s made me listen to songs I wouldn’t have without the platform, TikTok has never made me put on an album by an artist because I’ve heard a 15-second portion of a track in the background in the video.
While it has helped boost streaming statistics for artists and looks excellent on a press release, apart from the rare case like Steve Lacy or Glass Animals, the impact of TikTok on ticket sales is likely negligible. If the app is banned, social media will continue to be necessary for modern life, and users will simply migrate elsewhere.
Similarly to the Gold Rush or the Crypto boom, a portion of musicians got rich off TikTok’s wild algorithm, which is considerably more advanced than any other platform. However, most artists likely haven’t seen a direct spike in popularity because of the app. The current obsession from labels viewing TikTok as the promised land is unhealthy for artists who are becoming slaves to an algorithm, especially new acts who believe it’s the only way to make it. It should be seen as a fun tool which allows fans to see behind the curtains and nothing more. Ultimately, if it’s banned, another similar app will take its place, and the music industry will continue to adapt as it has for the last 70 years.
