TikTok currently finds itself in a position that YouTube knows only too well, being simultaneously hailed as a kingmaker for breaking new artists, and a hot potato when it comes to the question of licensing and royalties for music on its platform.
Part of TikTok’s charm offensive is partnerships with artists, and the latest example is with British rapper Giggs. The month-long partnership will see Giggs’ official TikTok channel offering daily behind-the-scenes clips ahead of his big show at Wembley Arena. Clips posted so far include him on his tour coach, his track ‘Whippin Excursion’ playing as he passes the Eiffel Tower at night, him playing Mario Kart on his bus and fellow grime star JME coming on stage for a guest performance.
Toyin Mustapha, head of music content partnerships at TikTok UK said, “We are excited to have Giggs on board, allowing our community to follow his day-to-day life in the lead up to the final show of his tour at Wembley. TikTok is home to a truly diverse community of artists with a wide range of people using it as a stage for all types of creative expression through short-form video.”
What is intriguing about this is that it’s exactly the kind of short-form and fan-friendly video content that would have normally gone on an act’s Twitter or Facebook. TikTok is obviously going to heavily promote it to its users to draw in new fans for Giggs, but it is also a public test drive to see just how much of a land grab it could make on other social platforms.
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