By Joseph Ekeng

Without a doubt, Tik Tok is the fastest-growing social media network in Nigeria. TikTok’s popularity in Nigeria can be attributed to several factors, including its easy-to-use interface, the ability to create and share short-form videos, and the engaging content available on the platform. Another major factor driving the platform’s growth is the large youth population in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 60% of Nigerians are under the age of 25, and many of these young people are drawn to TikTok’s lively and entertaining content.

As a result of its growing popularity among Nigerian youths, it has become a major tool for Nigerian entertainers, particularly, musicians to promote their songs, connect with their audience and grow their brand appeal.

As soon as they can get the attention of users on Tik Tok, that is a green light that the song is ripe for commercial success.

The song ‘Know You’ by Ladipoe first went viral on Tik Tok with a #duetchallenge that ramped up over 45 million views, opening the door for its public release.

CKay’s ‘Love Nwantiti’ followed a similar path to success. The song attained its viral smash status with the aid of a viral TikTok challenge that caught the attention of the world.

Simi did the same, revealing her pregnancy in the music video ‘Duduke’ and launching a challenge for expectant mothers which received millions of views. Other very successful Tik-Tok-enabled hits were ‘Buga’ by Kizz Daniel and ‘Little’ by Tenientertainer.

TikTok has given rise to a wave of musicians looking to gain exposure for their music through entertaining challenges that result in streams since users look for these well-liked songs on streaming services.

According to a brand finance report, TikTok has been named the world’s fastest-growing brand with an astounding 215 per cent growth from $18.7 billion in 2021 to $59.0 billion in 2022.

And its growth could be further accelerated with the launch of the TikTok Marketing Partners Program, six new international partners were introduced, including Sound AEYL Music, Squeak E. Clean Studios, Level Two Music, Butter Music Sound, Marmoset, and Jackleg. These partners will help level up the brand’s sound-on strategy by creating or licensing trending tracks, developing a sonic identity, and more.

“Tiktok has grown in popularity as a tool for record labels and musicians to promote their work. Even if a song has been out of the mainstream for a long time, it may suddenly ascend to the top of the app.

“Music marketers will also pay influencers to promote a song, resulting in a flood of user-generated content from fans. Some musicians will schedule personal listening sessions with Tik Tok influencers in the hopes of increasing the popularity of their latest songs on the platform,” said Perekeme Omoh, film/music director and production designer.

TikTok has become one of the product and service promoters, as it includes different tactics like influencer marketing, advertising and creating organic viral content. It has also helped to build and increase brand awareness.

Music executive and founder of Party Monkz Entertainment, Oyinda Olukanni, claimed that Tiktok is a platform that rose to prominence during the pandemic and progressively evolved from being a platform to a complete music marketing platform.

“TikTok is transforming the music industry in two ways: as a tool for music marketing and promotion and as a discovery and scouting app. It is used in marketing to create content with the catchy part of the song that will attract listeners, and it is used in discovery to allow content creators to search for the song and make a video with it to become a viral sensation. Songs that trend on TikTok frequently end up at the top of charts like the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50,” he added.

“Tiktok has created a space for another type of income where content creators are paid by record labels or artists for simply creating a dancing video or a skit with the song for it to go viral, which is one of the reasons people want to become content creators,” said Ogheneovo French, an influencer.