IS TIKTOK RUINING MUSIC?

The music industry is at a crossroads. Is it evolving or losing its soul? TikTok’s influence has reshaped music consumption, pushing artists towards virality over authenticity. While some revive forgotten tracks, others struggle with fleeting fame.

In this spotlight piece, our writer Linsy explores the balance between creativity and commercial success, the rise and fall of TikTok-fueled careers, and what it all means for the future of music.

Are we witnessing a fall, or just the next evolution? 

By Linsy M.

As emotion-led humans, when we fall, it’s a long trip. When we spiral, it’s a painful decline. However, there is a middle ground between us falling and the cold, hard pavement. It's what many see as a sense of hope, an outlet, a chance to reconnect, what many see as their saviour.

Music.

Our Natural Remedy

It's a 10-minute experience or a 20-second preview, but it's a natural remedy for many of us. Regardless of the period she comes from, there is no denying that over history, it has been essential to our lives, whether in the form of sadness or joy or a feeling in between. 

However, as time has passed, music has started to spiral; for many, this spiral has been a positive change, but there's an idea that it's lost it's identity and is very close to falling on the cold pavement.

TikTok: The Catalyst for Change

Who pushed it? TikTok – everybody’s easy, trendy, quick social media platform – TikTok reflects the modern world today – it's speed is unparalleled and relentless; it runs at 200mph, and it seems that what it produces is too. 

To provide context, in the 2000s, music was released at a speed that rewarded us, as we would wait for our favourite artist to make music based on true feelings and the overall trend for approximately a year.

People would listen to an album or song on an MP3 or CD player. Artists would only know how well their music was received via how many sales they made and how much was downloaded.

Fast forward to 2020, and TikTok newsroom shared that over 176 songs surpassed 1 billion video views as TikTok sounds and that 90 of those songs made it to the top US 100 charts. 

More songs and views equate to a positive thing for the industry as a whole, right?

Who's the boss, producers or artists?

Virality vs. Authenticity

Well, not necessarily. Music labels and producers now seem to prioritise reaching the top 100 by making the next viral song over what many songwriters and musicians truly want to produce; the musician suffocates, slowly spiralling into a situation that they don’t truly believe in.

Many artists try to combat this by becoming independently labelled, but without big producers and well-known labels, how easy is it to succeed?

For many musicians, whether this is a fact that wants to be revealed or not, careers have been built off the back of TikTok – with many songs being mainly popularised on the app. A recent example is the talented Dev Hynes, AKA “Blood Orange”, whose 2011 song, “Champagne Coast”, experienced a resurgence in mainstream music in 2024/25 by the spreading of it on TikTok. The cold pavement on this almost 13-year wait for virality resulted in a new reality and hope for the musician. Still, many people feel this is more of an exception than the norm.

The Fragility of TikTok Fame

The rise and inevitable decline of TikTok success has famously hit at least one artist, in which case the fall is even harder. Singer Ice Spice's TikTok virality commenced just after lockdown. In 2022, she experienced her first taste of mass streaming and being a rapper who made music that went viral on TikTok. However, as rapid as her rise was, since July 2024, she has released no new music, as it seems the music industry and consumers have moved away from that “TikTok sound” people once wanted so desperately.

An Uncertain Future

What does this mean about TikTok’s everlasting impact on the music industry?

It’s an impending fall. Consumerism is ebbing and flowing – it’s a consistent struggle. The middle ground of consumers struggling to find new music that hasn’t been made for virality purposes is a hard task. Ultimately, TikTok has launched many artists worldwide, and provided a platform for old classics and resurged careers. 

How will live music change?

The music industry is definitely at an unprecedented crossroads, caught between artists creativity and passion and the challenge of adapting to a landscape shaped by TikTok’s influence. While some argue that this shift signals a decline, others see it as an evolution that artists and consumers are still learning to navigate.

So, how far will it go before we gain some stability? Or, with platforms like TikTok redefining success, is it possible that the fall is not at all, but simply the next standard?

Is TikTok ruining music?

By Linsy M.