TikTok’s latest feature is less about music than it is about brands and e-commerce, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be useful for artists in the future. The feature is called ‘Hashtag Challenge Plus’, and its debut came in the US with a campaign by grocery retailer Kroger.
AdWeek reports that the company worked with four TikTok influencers on a sponsored hashtag challenge called #TransformUrDorm, aimed at college students. The twist: people watching the resulting videos could also tap through to a Kroger page to browse and buy products (“granola bars, a popcorn maker, laundry baskets and hangers…”) without leaving TikTok. Now imagine how this might work for a music artist, if their merchandise (or even tickets?) were included in their own sponsored hashtag challenge?
While retail brands may be the priority for TikTok’s new feature, experimenting with expanding it to artists could be a useful way to strengthen the company’s ties with the music industry, amid the ongoing discussions about how music should be licensed for its app.
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