United States: American music industry fears TikTok ban

The possible end of TikTok from Sunday in the United States worries the American music industry, which has become addicted to a social network so effective for launching hits. In just a few years, the Chinese short vertical video platform has established itself as a vital tool for discovering new artists and conducting promotional campaigns.

The potential cessation of TikTok nourished a feeling of “apocalypse marketing», alerts Tatiana Cirisano, music industry specialist for the MIDiA Research firm. “TikTok was a rallying space where popularity could actually turn into a hit», she adds.

The US Congress has given the parent company of TikTokthe Chinese group ByteDance, to sell its jewel if it does not want to see the application banned in the United States. The law plans to oblige internet providers and application stores to prevent TikTok to be uploaded after the deadline.

«TikTok march si bien»

In this climate of uncertainty and faced with the fear of a total blockage, creators are rushing to download their videos published on the platform so as not to lose them. Because, unlikeInstagram where the image is central, on TikTokdiscoveries are made above all around sound, recalls Sarah Flanagan, marketing manager in the music industry. “This explains a lot why TikTok works so well for music“, she explains.

In the event of a black screen on Sunday or Monday, the industry asks itself the question of alternatives. The “Shorts” of YouTube and the “Reels” ofInstagramoperating so close to TikTokare the first mentioned. But the latter are different, points out Jahan Karimaghayi of the marketing firm Benchmob. “Instagram is like an art gallery, where you show content to those who follow you. With TikTok, you create content for users who don’t follow you“, he emphasizes.

The success of TikTok comes from its recommendation algorithm, which shows you publications that you might like, without you already following the author. Conversely, the “Shorts” of YouTube could work better because the historic video sharing platform has already been used for a long time.like a jukebox», estimated Jahan Karimaghayi.

The Chinese application Xiaohongshualso called RedNote in English, thus appears as an alternative and placed itself at the top of downloads on the AppStore on Thursday.

“Pressure to be viral”

A big “phew” of relief, this is also what a closure of the TikTok. Because some artists suffer “the pressure to create content, the pressure to be viral“, says Tatiana Cirisano. With the explosion of short videos, “artists suddenly had the obligation to create their own format”, rather than working with an entire team, explains Sarah Flanagan. “No one told them what to do, how to appear “cool”», she confirms.

More, TikTok or not, we will have to continue producing for other social networks. They are the ones who lead us to listen to music, “whereas before it was the opposite», underlines Tatiana Cirisano. And, since the ban only concerns the United States, marketing strategies will not be affected in other countries around the world. However, certain artists could have more difficulty reaching the immense American market in the event of a cessation of TikTok.

But the “change is sometimes a good thing», estime Sarah Flanagan, «it was very limited in terms of creativity when everyone just wanted to release songs on TikTok“. The music industry will be able to adapt, Jahan Karimaghayi also hopes: “It will shake up for a little while, but people will continue to use the internet.»