A Content Driven World
Even as we slowly emerge from the worst of the pandemic here in the U.S., TikTok's dominance remains resolute. The app has been added to the shortlist of an artist's internet toolbelt that includes Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The TikTok algorithm's emphasis on discovery makes it a particularly powerful tool for artists on the verge. Along with the other apps of relevance, TikTok's dominance solidifies the power of "content" above all.
Content is anything that an artist puts on the internet. A tweet, a lip sync video, a BTS segment, a song, an interview - literally anything and everything is content. Content keeps fan armies engaged and permits artists to maintain power in an attention economy. Those artists who place a greater emphasis on creating continual streams of content are the ones who are cutting through the noise.
Look at Lil Nas X for example. His releases are multimedia events that are far more than just a song. In the months leading up to his recent releases for "Industry Baby" and "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)", Lil Nas X shared snippets of his songs online. People were clamoring for the song long before they were officially dropped. Ultimately, they were both released with incredibly controversial videos. Those pieces of art stimulated internet trolls to rage against Lil Nas X with homophobic slander. Lil Nas X used the blowback for weeks, clapping back at Twitter haters and utilizing absurd tweets in TikTok videos that created hundreds of thousands of impressions and kept Lil Nas X in the conversation. Lil Nas X created so much content from that single release.
Doja Cat is another master of creating content. Unlike Lil Nas X whose persona is a step ahead of his music, Doja's songs are the dominant force behind her success. Still, her ability to engage across the internet ecosystem sustains her star. Her TikTok is littered with hilarious videos in which she trolls other TikTok users or dances very poorly. Her instagram lives have created more than a few noteworthy moments. With steady releases and constant internet engagement, Doja Cat has mastered the age of content.
The lessons for up and coming artists are many, though not all of them feel sustainable. I want artists and songwriters to think of content creation as a PART of their job. You need to be on the internet - posting Instagram photos, creating TikTok videos, and tweeting regularly - in order to promote your music. Your main goal should still be to create incredible music but you need to be out there filling the internet with your own content in order to get ahead. That means, you will often be creating things that are not music in order to garner an audience. You might not like it (I don't), but that's the content driven world we're living in.
