How TikTok is rewriting the soundtrack of music discovery

More than six decades after its release, “toddler“delayed connie francis TikTok found new life this year, with the platform even reaching No. 5 globally summer song List.

This simple song, which sounds like a devotional song to a much-loved pet, was never released as a single. Yet, 63 years later, it’s become a viral sensation, with creators using it to soundtrack at least 2.4 million mostly wholesome videos featuring babies, children, pets, and their carefully styled outfits.

At its peak in the summer, “Pretty Little Baby” averaged more than 600,000 video views per day on TikTok, including posts. Kim Kardashian and North West, kylie jenner, brooke monk, jared german, abby herbert, Ariana Greenblatt, mistermannerAnd samaraIn America this song reached number 1 in both TikTok’s Viral 50 and Top 50 charts And Number 67 in Spotify’s Global Top 100Where it has generated over 120 million Spotify streams, making it her most streamed song to date. Before his death in July, Francis said that his new TikTok fame had made him “new lease of life, And she joined the stage Myself at the age of 87.

TikTok has influenced music discovery since its founding as Musical.ly in 2014. But over the past decade, its influence on the music industry has become undeniable. TikTok’s algorithm has a unique ability to make the old feel new again while reshaping the way artists and the music business connect with fans.

“For many young users on our platform, this is the first time they’re discovering these songs,” Clive Rosario, TikTok’s global music program manager, told Mashable. “You have users who are rediscovering these songs, and you have users who are discovering it for the first time. And it’s amazing to see, especially when older, iconic bands and artists reach a new fan base through TikTok.”

The renewed popularity of “Pretty Little Baby” — both in the charts and in the cultural conversation — is just one example of TikTok’s power to revitalize catalog music. A similar revival occurred with songs such as “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas, “Lie Down” by Radiohead, “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna, “Headlocks” by Imogen Heap, “Champagne Coast” by Blood Orange, “Forever Young” by Alphaville, “So Far So Fake” by Pierce the Veil, “Covet” by Basement, “Safe in Your Skin” and “Youngest Daughter” by Title Fight. Is. By Superheaven. One February Luminate and tiktok music effect report found that “84 percent of songs entering the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 first went viral on TikTok.”

“Artists like Imogen Heap, Blood Orange and Pierce the Veil have had some of their biggest moments on the backs of these huge trends and viralities driven by our community,” Rosario said. “Pierce the Veil Gets His Highest Billboard Hot 100 Entry From Behind [one of these trends],

As record labels try to adapt, playlist curators hold new power. Songs recorded decades ago are rising on the charts; Musicians are testing hooks in front of millions of people before uploading singles; And yes, that hardcore track from 2010 is now soundtracking TikTok Fit Check.

When old songs become new again

I discovered almost every new song when I was 14 gray’s anatomyThat’s how I first heard “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol and “Portions for Foxes” by Rilo Kelly, and how Tegan and Sara had success with “Where Does the Good Go,” Imagine the same effect – but with the instant response and reach of TikTok, where TV, culture, comedy and everyday life are all soundtracked in real time,

Consider Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” Recorded in 1985, it originally peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. stranger things Season 4, almost four decades later, and started trending on TikTok. Shortly thereafter, it re-entered the charts, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022 and surpassing one billion streams on Spotify in 2023.

“If something is going to go viral on TikTok, it’s usually related to something,” Damien Keyes, a Music industry teacher with over 100,000 followers on TikToktold Mashable. “We saw [that with] stranger things And Kate Bush. if you find your music [in] There’s a good chance there’s a movie or Netflix series that comes in at number 1. [it] “Will probably go viral.”

Keys says that virginity catalog also adds value to the market. “What they’re doing is banking on more platforms like TikTok to help them get their money back.”

The reinvention effect of TikTok has rejuvenated the careers of touring artists. When “Youngest Daughter” went viral two years ago, a post appeared hardcore subreddit Noting how “kids are making remixes of ‘Youngest Daughter’ on TikTok with tons of memes… but at the same time, a lo-fi rap remix of Superheaven destroys the whole vibe of the song.” The band stopped touring in 2016, playing only one show a year, but the renewed attention to Jaar’s 2013 track led to new momentum. On February 18, 2025, Superheaven announced a 16-stop North American tour – their first in almost a decade.

Whether it’s made 50 years ago or today, great music will cut through the noise of any algorithm and rise to the top.

It may seem counterintuitive that a youth-driven platform would fuel a catalog revival, but the explanation is simple. Ari as Elkins, a playlist curator 2.2 million followers on TikTok“A good song is a good song,” he told Mashable.

“Whether it was created 50 years ago or today, great music will transcend the noise of any algorithm and rise to the top.”

The DIY era of music discovery

If catalog artists are getting a new lease of life, emerging artists are using TikTok to build their careers from the ground up.

Many new artists use TikTok to build a fan base before releasing their music, including Lil Nas Artists like Lola Young, Ravyn Lena, CMAT, and Doichi made their mark on TikTok (and in Doichi’s case, on YouTube as well). According to Luminate and tiktok music effect report By February 2025, “84 percent of songs entering the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 first went viral on TikTok.”

That same system of reinvention now doubles as a tool for creation. While catalog success often depends on luck – for example, snagging a hit show – new artists can engineer their growth. Keys said, “If you want to build an audience, you can do it step by step, step by step. And that’s the magic of TikTok — you don’t have to rely on luck.”

Clive also reiterated the same point and described TikTok as a testing ground for new content. “TikTok is a place where a lot of artists preview and tease their music, and often you’ll see it go viral before it even comes out. It could be a piece of music that was never released and goes viral…[and] As a result of traction on TikTok, an official version is released and becomes a global hit.” Think: “Worry” by Deutsche.,

Unlike the industry’s previous gatekeepers, TikTok enables direct artist-fan relationships. Keys said, “If real people actually care about me, and not just discover me because I did some crazy thing on TikTok, that’s where you can keep them. You can literally put the audience in a place where you can talk to them, communicate, sell to them, tell them where you’re performing, or push them to Spotify.”

However, success on TikTok requires both artistry and digital fluency – not only knowing who you are, but how to present it within seconds, multiple times a day. Keyes said, “This is where art and science meet…Art is who you are, what you stand for…Science is how you wrap it up in a way that people can understand the context.” “As an artist, your job is to do that in literally a few seconds.”

Even TikTok Live has become a discovery engine. “I’ve got some artists who make $10,000 a month by going live every night on TikTok,” Keys said.

The rise of both old and new artists on the stage is not a zero-sum game. “It’s coming together,” Elkins said. “We’re seeing a resurgence of older artists like No Doubt, as well as the arrival of new artists like Somber and Alex Warren.”

Rosario says this dual rise of both old and new artists helps democratize music. And this may absolutely be true. The charts today are significantly more diverse in terms of both artist ethnicity and age than they were in 2003, which was before TikTok even existed. Analysis of charts published in the International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences,

But there are drawbacks to algorithmic listening. Filter bubbles can limit musical taste and homogenize culture – and, some argue, can completely weaken the strength of our connection with music,

Looking at the past of the artists themselves and the listeners, it becomes a little easier to understand why artists want to conform their music to the form. On TikTok, this is essential Grab the audience’s attention in the first three A few seconds of the video – Often, songs go viral because of a dance, a popular song, or anything else that isn’t necessarily related to the overall musicality. That leads to discovery.

“Music on TikTok is an integral part of the entire experience,” Rosario said. “Users use music to soundtrack their creations, often very personal creations. It’s very creative. We are a creation-first platform.”

The future of music is algorithmic

TikTok’s ecosystem is constantly evolving. Its “Add to Music App” feature has already been used to save over three billion tracks to streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and SoundCloud, driving billions more streams. TikTok offers programs for artists such as “New Music,” “On Tour,” and TikTok, which provides real-time insights and data to help artists optimize their platform usage.

It doesn’t seem like TikTok is interested in its users passively listening on its platform — it’s content to become a discovery tool and let other platforms take over the streams. “Fans discover music on TikTok and then consume it elsewhere,” Clive said.

But whether discovery is on TikTok, Spotify, or Apple Music, it’s still driven by algorithms, and the reliance on technology is here to stay.

Elkins is optimistic about that future. He said he’s “discovering music in a lot of different ways: on TikTok, curated playlists on Spotify, algorithmic playlists like [Spotify’s] Weekly Search. Sometimes I find my favorite music just by talking to friends and sharing tracks.”

Ultimately, TikTok has redefined discovery, blurring the lines between old and new, fame and fans, algorithms and artistry. And I, for one thing, couldn’t be more excited olivia dean,