With 500 million users on the platform each month, it’s more than likely that you’ve heard of the social media giant, TikTok. The video sharing platform makes it easy for users to create, share, and watch videos, from three seconds to a full minute in length, about literally anything. 

But by far, the most popular use of the platform revolves around music. Users are most often seen creating videos lip-syncing, singing, dancing, or talking, more often than not, with the use of some sort of music. And because music is such an integral part of TikTok’s success, musicians are starting to migrate over to the platform to establish and promote their careers.

Take new teen sensation, Olivia Rodrigo, for example. 

Rodrigo’s latest single, “Drivers License,” just broke the internet while simultaneously breaking Spotify’s record for the most streams in a week all thanks to the tremendous success it had on TikTok. 

“TikTok users have latched onto the song, making videos speculating about its meaning, praising its lyricism, and creating memes,” according to Insider.

And Rodrigo isn’t alone. Many artists, just like her, that have “blown up” or grown extremely popular in a short period of time utilized TikTok to spread their music. Conan Grey’s “Heather,” CJ’s “Whoopty,” and K CAMP’s “Lottery” are all prime examples of TikTok music success stories that had millions of users singing and dancing to their songs.

So what does this sudden gravitation towards TikTok mean for the music industry and musicians?

It means that we’ve found a new music mecca. The radio, music awards, and YouTube Music are things of the past because these days, TikTok has the biggest influence on what songs are hot right now.

From social media platforms to music playlists to video games, TikTok has touched just about everything that relates even in the slightest to music. 

Just take video game sensation, Fortnite, for example.

According to Riley Trepanier from Game Rant, “Epic’s popular game (Fortnite Battle Royale) would be adding a TikTok dance as its newest emote.”

That’s crazy to even think about. Epic Games isn’t adding the emote because of the song accompanying it, but rather the TikTok dance associated with it because for the first time, the dance is more popular than the song, showcasing just another effect TikTok has had on the music industry.

So with one in every ten people using TikTok, hordes of musicians hoping to catch a lucky break, and its general influence on music everywhere, TikTok is, indeed, the music mecca.

Graphic courtesy of NYTIMES.COM