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The TikTok effect: How TikTok is shaping the way we consume music

Ranff, Greta LU and Degener, Loui LU (2023) IBUH19 20231
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Digitalization has in recent years transformed the music industry and how people consume music. Simultaneously, the social media app TikTok has emerged as a major player in marketing, using its unique algorithmic structure and user-generated content to become a powerful marketing tool for musicians and record labels alike. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of TikTok on music consumption. An in-depth overview of existing literature on music consumption, social media, and social media’s effect on music consumption is provided. Additional insights are delivered through semi-structured interviews with Swedish TikTok users in the age range 18-30 years, where the collected data was analyzed thematically to distinguish patterns and... (More)
Digitalization has in recent years transformed the music industry and how people consume music. Simultaneously, the social media app TikTok has emerged as a major player in marketing, using its unique algorithmic structure and user-generated content to become a powerful marketing tool for musicians and record labels alike. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of TikTok on music consumption. An in-depth overview of existing literature on music consumption, social media, and social media’s effect on music consumption is provided. Additional insights are delivered through semi-structured interviews with Swedish TikTok users in the age range 18-30 years, where the collected data was analyzed thematically to distinguish patterns and themes.
The findings of the study are centered around two main themes: (Re)discovery and Reconfiguration of musical taste. Our findings suggest that TikTok shapes music consumption by acting as an information channel via which consumers discover new music they otherwise would not have heard. This is done by facilitating and increasing rediscovery, and by forming consumers’ perception of songs according to the attached visual imagery. Moreover, TikTok broadens its users’ musical taste, induces nostalgic consumption, and fosters a music consumption pattern that resembles that of fast fashion consumption. Our findings have both theoretical and practical contributions. Regarding the former, we have contributed to both the literature stream on music consumption and social media within the field of marketing. The practical implications will help artists develop targeted strategies and improve their fan engagement through insights into consumer behavior and preferences. Insights from the study can also enhance content curation and recommendation algorithms on social media platforms, improving user satisfaction and participation. Furthermore, for future research we recommend using a larger and more diverse sample size, further exploring the relationship between artists and consumers, as well as to investigate which music characteristics make a song go viral. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ranff, Greta LU and Degener, Loui LU
supervisor
organization
course
IBUH19 20231
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
consumer behavior, music consumption, social media, TikTok, recommendation algorithms, marketing platforms
language
English
id
9120266
date added to LUP
2023-09-12 13:26:54
date last changed
2023-09-12 13:26:54
@misc{9120266,
  abstract     = {{Digitalization has in recent years transformed the music industry and how people consume music. Simultaneously, the social media app TikTok has emerged as a major player in marketing, using its unique algorithmic structure and user-generated content to become a powerful marketing tool for musicians and record labels alike. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of TikTok on music consumption. An in-depth overview of existing literature on music consumption, social media, and social media’s effect on music consumption is provided. Additional insights are delivered through semi-structured interviews with Swedish TikTok users in the age range 18-30 years, where the collected data was analyzed thematically to distinguish patterns and themes.
The findings of the study are centered around two main themes: (Re)discovery and Reconfiguration of musical taste. Our findings suggest that TikTok shapes music consumption by acting as an information channel via which consumers discover new music they otherwise would not have heard. This is done by facilitating and increasing rediscovery, and by forming consumers’ perception of songs according to the attached visual imagery. Moreover, TikTok broadens its users’ musical taste, induces nostalgic consumption, and fosters a music consumption pattern that resembles that of fast fashion consumption. Our findings have both theoretical and practical contributions. Regarding the former, we have contributed to both the literature stream on music consumption and social media within the field of marketing. The practical implications will help artists develop targeted strategies and improve their fan engagement through insights into consumer behavior and preferences. Insights from the study can also enhance content curation and recommendation algorithms on social media platforms, improving user satisfaction and participation. Furthermore, for future research we recommend using a larger and more diverse sample size, further exploring the relationship between artists and consumers, as well as to investigate which music characteristics make a song go viral.}},
  author       = {{Ranff, Greta and Degener, Loui}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The TikTok effect: How TikTok is shaping the way we consume music}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}