The Implications of TikTok Engagement on the Number of Spotify Listeners: A Study on Independent Artists

Abstract

The music industry has encountered a shift from CD sales to stream count. This shift has been reinforced by the rise of social media and short-form video content, particularly through the platform of TikTok. I performed a mixed-method study and explored the content posted to TikTok by five different independent artists – focusing on the 4-month period around the release of each of their singles. The results revealed that independent artists are applying strategies similar to that of mainstream artists, in order to attract followers and convert them into listeners. The artists that encountered the best conversion rate of TikTok followers to Spotify monthly listeners informed people about their music and made it interactive for the fans. The most prominent strategies were applied to a sample 4-month marketing plan that I developed. This developed marketing plan could be applied to my personal music or be used as a guideline for other independent artists who promote their music on TikTok.