TikTok’s “Fan Spotlight” is transforming how artists connect with their fans and promote
new music. This feature allows musicians to highlight their favorite fan videos on their
music tab, increasing interaction and engagement.¹ Fans are inspired to produce more
music based content in return for recognition from their favorite musicians. In addition
to creating a stronger artist-fan connection, this increased involvement helps promote
new music on the platform. Could this creative approach completely change how
musicians engage their fans and promote their music? Let’s take a look.
Fan Spotlight: Boosting Music Promotion and Fan Engagement on TikTok
TikTok’s Fan Spotlight was launched during a TikTok takeover by Billie Eilish, where fans
participated in challenges to unlock exclusive artwork which would lead to a chance to
be featured on her page. Now, the Fan Spotlight function on TikTok allows musicians to
add up to five fan videos of their choice to their music tab. These videos stay pinned on
their account for up to seven days, giving fans the chance to be highlighted by their
favorite musicians. When their video is chosen by an artist, the fan receives a
notification, increasing artist-fan engagement.²
This feature is now available to all artists on TikTok, boosting engagement and music
promotion. Since the launch of Fan Spotlight, millions of fan videos have been made for
Eilish’s songs “Therefore I Am” and “What Was I Made For?” on TikTok. The success of
this new feature in promoting music and building relationships between fans and artists
can be seen by the high level of fan participation. With Fan Spotlight as a feature, fans
continue to make music-based content on TikTok for the chance to be recognized by
their favorite artists.
How TikTok’s Fan Spotlight is Changing Music Discovery and Promotion
TikTok’s Fan Spotlight has changed music promotion and its engagement with fans,
allowing artists to connect with fans in new and innovative ways. With 800 million
monthly active users, TikTok helps 600 million people find new musicians, and more
than half of TikTok’s users discover music that they have never heard before.³ This
makes Fan Spotlight the ideal platform for artists to share videos with their music and
attract new listeners. Compared to the average user of short-form video platforms,
TikTok users in the U.S. are twice as likely to find new music on these platforms.⁴ TikTok
is a key player in disrupting how music is promoted and consumed.
In addition to offering fan service, TikTok’s Fan Spotlight has developed into a tool for
artists to promote themselves. Data shows that 67% of TikTok users explore songs on
other streaming platforms after first viewing them on TikTok, encouraging musicians to
promote their music on the site to current and potential fans.⁵ The “For You” page,
regardless of the artist’s popularity, helps in globalizing the artist’s music. TikTok serves
as an essential tool for musicians and record labels looking to increase the popularity
and engagement of their music.
Predictions & Takeaways
Millions of music lovers interact with their favorite artists and find new songs on TikTok,
despite not being a music streaming service. For musicians looking to promote their
music and increase fan engagement, TikTok’s new Fan Spotlight feature is essential.
This feature boosts engagement by allowing musicians to highlight fan videos, creating
a stronger artist-fan bond. Knowing that their favorite artists might notice them, fans
quickly put out content.
Combined with TikTok’s other unique features such as the “For You“ page and its short
video format makes it the perfect platform for fans and musicians to interact. With its
success, Fan Spotlight is likely to become a standard tool for artists to engage with fans
and promote their music on TikTok.
Written By: Hailey Scognamillo, Rachel Gray
Graphics designed by: Hailey Scognamillo, Rachel Gray
Attributes:
1. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-fan-spotlight-boost-music-promotions-app/716660/
2. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-unveils-new-fan-spotlight-feature-with-billie-eilish/
3. https://medium.com/@BrennaNotBreanna/tiktoks-effect-on-the-music-industry-bf7f7b3c3e94#:~:text=Data%20gathered%20in%20the%20U.S.,heard%20before%20on%20the%20platform
4. https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/music-impact-report-confirms-tiktok-fuels-music-discovery
5. https://www.octiive.com/blog/tiktoks-musical-influence-62-of-us-users-pay-for-streaming-shaping-trends-and-redefining-the-music-industry#:~:text=It%20reveals%20that%2062%25%20of,the%20US%20as%20of%20February