Snoop Dogg put the albums he owns exclusively on TikTok, one week before wide release elsewhere. TikTok getting exclusive music could be big. Here's why. TikTok has been the music industry's top of funnel, but that's not enough. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, wants to be involved in the entire stack. Last March, TikTok released SoundOn, its own music distribution service that allows artists to upload music to streaming services. Later in 2022, it also enabled artists to "pre-release" music on TikTok before they hit streaming services. There was also a trademark filed for TikTok Music, its own streaming service. ByteDance already has the technology for this with Resso, its music streaming service in India, Brazil, and Indonesia. Exclusive music has been a common tactic for streaming services to gain users, but they have had an up-and-down history in the past. Apple Music and Tidal did this back in 2015 and 2016, but after Frank Ocean released Blonde on Apple Music, the major record labels banned its signed artists from doing exclusives with any streaming services. But Snoop Dogg owns his solo albums from 1993, 1996 and others from the label he acquired. This was his choice. I'm eager to see how this plays out. Will other artists do TikTok exclusives? TikTok wants to capture the value it creates, but the rights holders want to be fairly compensated for their work. I would also LOVE to know how much TikTok paid Snoop for exclusivity. If you like breakdowns like this, check out Trapital our free newsletter that keeps you up on the business of music, media, and culture. Sign up here and I'll send you our next memo: https://lnkd.in/dqbqnWr8 What are your thoughts on Snoop Dogg and TikTok music exclusives?
Robin Hood!!! 😤⬆️
Danish C.
1y
I think exclusives are never healthy and can not sustain a platform or artists growth in the long run. Only an artist of his stature could afford a stunt like that, definitely not on a regular basis. But rest of info you mentioned is completely on point.
I think they will, If they just can. And why wouldn't they? Artists deserve to be well compensated for what they create and represent. In the future we will see more and more artists starting their own labels, just to be able to decide how and when to create/move in what direction. Which will be good news regarding creativity. Being able to create when and what you want, is key to fresh things.
Wrote a piece around how TikTok is coming for the Music Industry's lunch which talks more about this https://incentify.substack.com/p/tiktok-is-eating-the-music-industrys
I think this has been happening for quite a while. Tik tok has become one of the primary sources for song exploration. A lot of music discovery has shifted from streaming platforms to tik tok. I too have seen some startup pitches that aim to build music collaboration platforms for artists emerging from tik tok and other social media. One of the big problems is that a lot of these artists coming from tik tok are one time hit artists. Snoop dogg launching his album through tik tok speaks volumes but the fate of this would depend on independent artists eventually giving successive hits.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Marie Robin
1y
He’s a smart entrepreneur !
Awesome summary as always. I’m not in the music business/industry but your posts gives me major insights. Thanks.
People & Culture Professional | Political Science Educator | Hip Hop Lover | Dedicated to Impact + Inclusion
1ySnoop is always doing something new and cutting-edge! He’s an amazing business person.