60 Per Cent Of TikTok’s Summer List Were Indie Acts

The global indie music sector now has a 36.09 per cent share. Its revenue last year grew 16.1 per cent against the industry’s 9 per cent rise.

This growing shift of power was indicated when Spotify revealed earlier this year that in 2023, indie acts were 26 per cent of its streams, up from 13 per cent in 2017. For the first time, indie names made up 50 per cent of revenue, contributing US$4.5 billion.

When TikTok released its list of biggest global tracks during the northern summer, 60 per cent of the top 10 were distributed by independent labels or artists themselves. 

Topping the list was the reggaeton Gata Only, a song by Chilean singers FloyyMenor and Cris MJ that uses a naughty link between girls and cats. Distributed by UnitedMasters, it generated 1 billion views on TikTok (earning $7,000), 859 million streams by July, and inspired 200 million videos.

18-year-old Menor, who named himself after US boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, started out uploading Spanish versions of his favourite trap and reggae tracks.

He did Gata Only solo last year but turned it into a duet in February with Cris MJ, 24, who was coming off of his massive banger Una Noche en Medellín.

The song went to No. 1 in ten countries, including Argentina, Austria, Mexico, and Portugal. It was certified diamond in France, double platinum in Italy, and quadruple platinum in Spain. It reached the Top 10 in 30 countries.

Another indie success story this summer was Tommy Richman’s Million Dollar Baby (VHS). It ranked third globally on TikTok but also topped the platform’s US chart. It was distributed through PULSE Records/ISO Supremacy.

Million Dollar Baby was also massive in Australia, where it topped both the ARIA Hot 100 and Hip Hop/R&B charts and was certified as double platinum for sales of 140,000.

Richman, a rapper from Virginia, cited influences from Lil Wayne, 50 Cent and Motley Crue to US basketball icon Denis Rodman.

“He’s actually one of the most punk people ever,” he told Lyrical Lemonade. “During his time, to be as metro, and athletic, and different, and fashionable and partying as hard as he did was ridiculous.” He added: “Say what you want, but the Kim Jong Un friendship is iconic!”

Mentored by 28-year-old rapper Brent Faiyaz, who set up ISO Supremacy in a deal worth $50 million, Richman appeared on his Larger Than Life project, released several EPs, and followed them up with megaton live shows.

The impossibly catchy Million Dollar Baby from April was his biggest smash, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and attracting callouts from Drake, Offset, and Quavo. 

Richman’s smart move was to release the track and video as studio and VHS versions, the latter a raw and louder in-your-face adaption, which most fans seemed to like. 

He teased this on TikTok a week before its official release, instantly grabbing 9.5 million views. It had 16.6 million streams in its first four days and, by June, had 45.2 million US streams. His Coyote album is due in late September.

Impressive

Most impressive about the songs in the summer Top 10 is how they go on to chart in up to 20 different countries. Australia pops up for quite a few.

Tell Ur Girlfriend by Philadelphia rapper Lay Bankz (Artist Partner Group) is a great example of how, in 2024, TikTok still makes superstars out of new acts and often bypasses the marketing strategies of its business teams.

A TikTok dance trend inspired by Tell Ur Girlfriend exploded on streaming platforms, pushing it into the US charts. The video of her dancing in a hair salon generated another TikTok trend. The track chart worldwide, including a No. 2 spot on the ARIA hip hop chart and No. 26 on the ARIA Hot 100.

The summer lists included the likes of Billie Eilish (Birds Of A Feather, 792.8 million times on Spotify alone), Sabrina Carpenter (Please Please Please) and Latin music superstar Karol G (Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido). 

US singer, songwriter, dancer and actress Tinashe already had hits in Australia ten years ago. Nasty brought her back to the charts and globally inspired 10 million video creations.

TikTok also spotlighted relative unknowns Dutch-Iranian singer-songwriter and producer Sevdaliza (Alibi), Dominican rappers El Alfa and Nfasis (ESTE), and regional Mexican artists Luis R Conriquez and Neton Vega (Si No Quieres No).

Memphis rapper GloRilla and Wanna Be, with Megan Thee Stallion guesting, inspired fans to show off their favourite hairstyles and their best “Megan knees.” Its success led to a remix featuring Cardi B, which was described as "crunk and dominant.”

About TikTok’s US and Global lists, Ole Obermann, its Global Head of Music Business Development, said: “Once again, TikTok’s Songs of the Summer list beautifully demonstrates how the magic of TikTok helps our global community to discover and promotes a diverse range of incredibly talented artists and their music.”

“The Songs of the Summer list is proof that both new and emerging artists of every genre, from anywhere in the world, can connect with over a billion music fans TikTok every day, build their careers and impact music culture.”

He added: “Latin music is one of the most popular genres on TikTok, so it’s no surprise to see Gata Only top our global list, alongside some other amazing emerging artists like Sevdaliza and Tommy Richman, as well as superstars such as Billie Eilish.”

Helping The Indies

TikTok has a number of initiatives that give indie acts more commercial opportunities. A new Artist Impact Program helps lesser-known artists add their music to TikTok’s 1 million song Commercial Music Library, which will then be considered for use in ad campaigns on TikTok.

The SoundOn program allows indie artists to upload and license tracks for use on TikTok. Its Work With Artists option enables musicians to offer incentives for users to add their tracks to their clips.

Three Aussie Success Stories

A new generation of Aussie acts quickly learned how TikTok could change their lives if their tracks inspired crazy videos or were about serious social issues that struck a chord.

Masked Wolf’s Astronaut In The Ocean was both. Written about depression, it soundtracked 470,000 videos, including those about welding, four-wheel drives and physical prowess.

The track clicked over 2 billion streams, reached No. 2 in the US, where it sold 2 million and charted in 30 countries, including Australia.

“TikTok threw me in the deep end; I was swimming with sharks,” Wolf would quip about it, upturning his career. He’s releasing an album this year.

Currently doing upgraded stadium dates through Europe and the United States, in June, the now Los Angeles-based Dom Dolla hit No. 1 on the ARIA Club Chart for the tenth time with Girls.

Signing to Sweat It Out nine years ago, early teasers on TikTok led to 500 million streams and numerous awards wins around the world.

“TikTok is a very interesting place and it is changing the landscape for IDs and DJ culture,” he observed. “We used to post stuff online to see if people liked it, and if people like it, you wrap it up, you finished it, and you released it.”

For the 15-year-old Dominic Matheson, who was sneaking into Melbourne clubs to play with borrowed decks, the ambition was 10,000 plays on SoundCloud and headline at the 900-capacity Prince of Wales Bandroom.

Instead, the one-time freelance graphic artist who did posters and artwork for Mushroom Music and Frontier Touring went to sell 50,000 tickets at Myer Music Bowl in the quickest time.

There was also a Grammy nomination, a billion streams, international festivals, and work with the likes of Gorillaz, Tame Impala, Nelly Furtado, Banks, and, most recently, Tove Lo and Bosnian-German DJ Solomun, who is based in Ibiza.

TikTok continues to help shape his career. The track Rhyme Dust with MK was only supposed to be out in mid-2023. But after teasing it on the platform in December 2022, within hours, his 563,000 followers were bombarding him and his manager to have it out by March. 

The track increased his TikTok followers by an extra 50,000, Spotify monthly listeners grew from 4 million to 7 million within a few weeks, and there were 10 million uses of the audio.

When Peach PRC set up her TikTok page in 2019, she was part of a new generation of singers (including Doja Cat) that announced, “We’re finished with the age of celebrity.”

The pink and glitter fairy went on to explain, “It’s breaking that wall between the artist and the fan, where we all see each other as equals, and we all have our own strengths and talents.”

TikTok to Sharlee Jade Curnow was a series of diary-like posts about her mental health, troubled home life, addiction, rehab, finding a sisterhood among fellow strippers, and taking her stage name from her favourite character from the Mario video game series Princess Peach. PRC came from Porcelain.

By the time her debut single, Josh, came out, she had a ready audience waiting. Josh had 36 million streams. It was followed by Symptomatic (12 million) and Heavy (22 million). In 2022, when she came out as a lesbian, she reached out to her followers and said she received total support.

By last year, she had over 1.7 billion TikTok views and 2.1 million followers. She also had over 4 million social followers, who generated over 180 million combined artist streams. 

Her first Australian headline tour was a sell-out and had to be extended. She told triple j that on the tour, staged before the Manic Dream Pixie EP dropped (and debuted at No. 1 although it rapidly dropped out after), fans knew every word to the new songs based on snippets she posted on TikTok. “It was crazy but lovely.”

In August, she dropped the pinktastic new video for Time Of My Life.

TikTok gave her the global presence to tour through North America and the United Kingdom. This included opening for BlackPink’s sell-out in London’s Hyde Park before 65,000 and friendships with Billie Eilish and Paris Hilton.