TikTok is making it easier for you to discover new music
TikTok makes another bid to dictate the songs you have on repeat.
Today (May 12), TikTok announced its "New Music" search hub. Now, when you search "New Music" on TikTok, you're greeted by a black and yellow graphic and two featured videos. Currently, there's one from singer-songwriter James Arthur and another from The Jonas Brothers. The update formalizes searching for new music on the platform. From the hub you can click on #NewMusic to see all the videos tagged "New Music" — which has over 19 billion views and counting — or tap "Featured," "Trending," or "Discover" to see what music TikTok is highlighting.
"TikTok is already a destination for artists who want to preview their newest works, and for music fans looking to discover new music, and this new feature will give artists a new way to connect with our global community," said Paul Hourican, global head of music operations at TikTok, in a press release.
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The social media platform promises that the new hub will be a place for both emerging and mainstay artists to build and connect with fanbases. It was launched in partnership with The Jonas Brothers and Miguel, two established artists who have found success promoting music on TikTok.
TikTok's update comes after Spotify launched its own FYP-esque feed in March that allows users to swipe through videos to discover new music, podcasts, and audiobooks to overwhelmingly negative reactions. As Mashable's Alex Perry wrote, "If I wanted to use TikTok, I'd use TikTok." And now it seems, if I wanted to use Spotify, I'd use Spotify might be true as well.
Both platforms are vying to be our end-all audio destination. Which one ends up on top will be determined by your own algorithmically generated music taste.
Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at [email protected] or follow her @ecaviar_.
