The MMF UK sat down with the Paul Hourican, Head of Music Operations UK, TikTok, to ask him a few questions.
Hi Paul, How important is music to TikTok's overall business?
TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy to our users - and artists and their music have been a central part of this creative process since the app launched. Every day, people discover and create videos using millions of songs on TikTok, driving unprecedented music discovery and trends.
Moving forward we want to continue to supercharge artist engagement and music discovery, working closely with the entire industry to maximise this opportunity and bring the most exciting music related content to our creative global community.
What advice would you give to a manager or artist looking to use the platform?
Be consistent, experiment regularly and embrace the platform.
Building an authentic connection with fans is part of an artist’s DNA, so give people a reason to follow up and watch your videos, by creating content that makes people feel something and want to share your videos with their friends.
It’s always good to think about how you can combine creative content for your own videos with what is already happening on the platform. Think about behind the scenes situations, recording sessions, fun interactions with fellow musicians or joining in with a wider trend - the main thing is to just be yourself, authentic and share a moment of your life that you’re passionate about. Basically, just get started and have a go! And please, use our team - we’re here to help you.
How can TikTok help them grow their business and boost their campaigns?
Music discovery is a natural result of TikTok’s short-form video format, shining a light on artists and their music that transcends the platform. Doja Cat for example has had an incredible last 12 months, in major thanks to the numerous TikTok trends that have utilised her catalogue and her inimitable style. In particular, 'Say So' has inspired a generation to perform a memorable dance routine that's now been performed by millions of TikTok users. The track has amassed hundreds of millions of streams across multiple DSPs, and subsequently charting globally.
Our users consume content and also create their own in response to a trend/song. This means that artists can build a profile and produce content to engage with their fans in a truly creative and direct way with us.
What music-related campaign has really stood out for you this year?
It’s so difficult to choose just one, but I’ve really loved some examples from just the past few weeks, of artists finding creative ways to engage with the TikTok community, whilst we’re all in lockdown.
Tinie has been asking fans to send him requests for a freestyle he does on Sundays, Little Mix have created their own Stay At Home Break Up Song video (and encouraging fans to do their own version), whilst Rita Ora and Ella Eyre have been giving fans insight into their cooking habits. Nina Nesbitt has been sharing hairdressing do’s and don’ts, and Robyn’s #onmyown challenge has generated nearly 1bn views already, with fans showing how they’re dancing on their own in lockdown against this classic and very of-the-moment track.