TikTok e som: mudando as formas de criar, promover, distribuir e ouvir música

TikTok and sound: changing the ways of creating, promoting, distributing, and listening

Resumo

O TikTok se tornou um dos impérios online de crescimento mais rápido na última década e uma das ferramentas de mídias sociais mais influentes da atualidade. Ao centralizar o formato de vídeos curtos adaptados para telas de smartphones, essa plataforma apresenta o componente sonoro do material audiovisual de maneiras nunca exploradas no âmbito das mídias sociais em escala global. Neste artigo, explorarei as maneiras pelas quais o TikTok deu uma “virada aural” (Abidin, Kaye, 2021) e, portanto, mudou e influenciou os processos de criação, audição e promoção de música. É dada atenção especial às ferramentas que os criadores têm à disposição (como duetos, stitches, transmissões ao vivo, vídeos curtos), bem como às circunstâncias que ocorrem quando essas ferramentas são combinadas com o algoritmo e todo o ecossistema desse aplicativo (como a maior possibilidade de viralidade, pressão para otimizar o conteúdo para que seja “cativante” e agradável, lançamento rápido em outros aplicativos de streaming). O artigo também investiga a imagem influenciada pelo TikTok do setor musical contemporâneo, bem como o uso multifacetado do som como memes.

Palavras-chave: TikTok. Música. Propaganda musical. Promoção musical. Tecnologia musical.

Abstract
This article addresses the issue of sound and music on TikTok, one of the fastest growing online empires in the last decade and one of the most influential social media tools today. By centering the short-video format tailored for smartphone screens, this platform sets forth the sonic component of the audio-visual material in ways which have been unexplored in the social media realm on a global scale before. The “aural turn” (Abidin and Kaye 2021) that happened on TikTok at the same time changed and influenced the processes of music-making, music listening and music promotion. Special attention is given to the tools creators have at use (such as Duets, Stitches, livestreams, short form of the video) – which were especially important for collaborative music making and communication during the Covid-19 pandemic lock¬down – as well as the circumstances that ensue when these tools are combined with the algorithm and the entire ecosystem of this app (such as the highest yet possibility of virality, pressure to optimize content to be ‘catchy’ and likable, fast release on other streaming apps). The article also investigates the TikTok-influenced image of the contemporary music industry, as well as the multi-faceted use of sound as memes. As shown here, TikTok not only directly impacted
the development of new, imitational features 73 on the biggest social media and video sharing outlets, but also changed the way the music industry functions in terms of discovering new artists, as well as distributing, streaming, and selling the music.
Moreover, research shows that the TikTok environment shapes the way musicians structure, compose, and arrange their new pieces, songs and sounds.

Keywords: TikTok. Music. Music produsage. Music promotion. Music technology.