Tik Tok Live: Where is the music?

TikTok is a cultural nexus for discovering new music,  so why is is TikTok LIVE so weird?

​Snowed in and snuggled up, I scroll through TikTok. I love discovering new music, watching duets, laughing at videos that are so relatable, listening to music critics talk about albums and, yes, I have even bought makeup because of a tutorial. The algorithm has pinpointed my interests and has done a great job at keeping me online, dare I say, for hours at a time. But before I know it, I’m pulled into a TikTok LIVE, and find myself in a blizzard of the bizarre, a parallel universe. 

From ASMR, to people sitting on their phone eating, random games involving ping pong balls, sloppy karaoke, tarot card readings, deformed humans staring listlessly into the camera, the list of weird goes on. My Reddit search on “Why is TikTok LIVE so different from the TikTok FYP”  found no answers either. Just similar complaints.

Even more so, when it comes to music, why does TTL, for the most part, feel like a surface level open mic night where the majority of musicians are more concerned about their appearance or reading comments that are about themselves? Where are all the touring bands?

TikTok is a cultural nexus that has changed the way we listen to music and has upended the industry. Recent news of a new pop group arising from a TikTok hashtag challenge underscores the platform’s power in music. The videos on my FYP page are innovative and fun but on TikTok LIVE it’s the polar opposite for music; a creative chasm - what gives? At the height of pandemic, I, along with over 2 million streamers, watched The Weekend perform as an avatar for a TikTok LIVE concert and at that point, I was on board with the platform being a creative tool for musicians. And since that avatar concert, there have been a plethora of polished performances by pop music's biggest names where the production value, albeit vertical, is as dialed as the Grammy’s. And even during the onset of Corona, artists gravitated to the platform like crazy because it offered a cool chance to directly connect with the audience. But now that live shows have come back, there is a music void on TikTok LIVE. Is the answer simply - the lack of energy exchange and that the TTL platform diminishes the art? And is our attention span too short to watch musicians on TikTok LIVE?

Now that we have had time to allow the LIVE experience to percolate into our music experience, for me, I enjoy LIVE’s when fans are recognized; it is an elevated form of connecting. When your favorite artist actually says your name, answers your questions, plays your favorite song, you feel seen and heard. At an in-person live concert, you can only pretend the lead singer looked at you and smiled. 

And while TTL will never replace the buzz and thrum of being at a live concert, is there an opportunity for musicians, amateur and professional alike, to create a balance on TTL? Or is it just a waste of time because the algorithms are in charge? Tech Crunch posted in December that TikTok is testing new desktop streaming software, opening the doors for new ways for creators to engage with their fans. So far the software (TikTok LIVE Studio) looks to be geared for gamers, but the beta app has me optimistic that it can be used for musicians as well.
Hint: stream a past concert and break down the performance. 

For now, I will continue to leave the comfort of my FYP and periodically scroll through TikTok LIVE in hopes of connecting deeper with concert culture.

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