theme song for a bit of fun two years ago, he didn’t expect the 15-second clip to reach 2.2 million likes. But it did, and the post propelled his career into the stratosphere.The AgeAs unusual as it sounds, it’s just one example of how TikTok is helping Australian artists speed through – and sometimes even entirely bypass – the process of signing onto record labels, the traditional route to musical success.
Artists can build their following not only through people interacting with their videos and profiles directly, but also through viewers taking their “sounds” – the music, sound or voice-over in a content creator’s video – and using it in a new video. Jaycee’s most popular song,But because the app is always changing, Jaycee says that what works now might not work next month. “The stuff that got me viral first off won’t work now,” he says.
which quietly flew under the radar when it was released in 2019, reached number six on the US Billboard chart two years later. The song has since been used in more than 18 million videos on TikTok.TikTok’s music director for Australia and New Zealand, Ollie Wards, says the platform is an increasingly important discovery tool.
“The A and R departments of labels and management companies are definitely finding people on TikTok ... more than at shows or physical events.”The platform allows EMI to have a better idea of an artist’s work and how they connect with followers, with Ho saying, “It’s an exciting way for us to connect with new artists on a personal level”.