# What's next for TikTok music industry revolution? Lil Nas X type cases have powered the app | Tech News (HT Tech) > With a billion users, China's TikTok app has rapidly become one of the most important players in the music industry. # What's next for TikTok music industry revolution? Lil Nas X type cases have powered the app ## With a billion users, China's TikTok app has rapidly become one of the most important players in the music industry. Aug 22 2022, 00:01 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![TikTok](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2022/02/11/1600x900/CHINA-TECH--9_1644601646557_1644601689433.JPG) TikTok has continued to create viral sensations that are reshaping the musical landscape. (REUTERS) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By AFP With a billion users, China's TikTok app has rapidly become one of the most important players in the music industry, and now has its sights set on revolutionising the way artists are discovered and get paid. Success stories such as Lil Nas X -- whose "Old Town Road" became effectively the biggest-selling US single of all time after going viral on TikTok -- have demonstrated the power of the short-form video app. Major labels, which initially freaked out over TikTokers using their music without a licence, quickly realised they needed to get on board. "When a disruptive tech platform appears, understandably the rights-holders get uncomfortable," TikTok's head of music Ole Obermann told AFP. He was brought in from Warner Music in December 2019 to thrash out deals with the labels. "Obviously we had to pay out substantial amounts of money. The good news is we're totally licenced now and we're talking to them every day about new things that haven't been done before." ## - 'Changing everything' - Meanwhile, TikTok has continued to create viral sensations that are reshaping the musical landscape. Also read click here. Sometimes, it's old songs given a new lease of life, such as recent crazes for Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" or Boney M's "Rasputin". But often it's new or independent artists, who no longer need the backing of record labels to find a massive audience. "It's hard to overstate how much this is changing everything," said Tom Rosenthal, a London-based musician whose songs have been used on 1.6 million TikTok videos. "Major labels are kinda crapping their pants because the traditional systems of marketing no longer apply. (TikTok) is a great leveller. You can do it on your own," he said. Some artists are becoming huge without even knowing about the app. That was the case with Nigerian popstar CKay. His 2019 single "Love Nwantiti" was a decent-sized hit in his home country, but then TikTok users got hold of it, and by November 2021 it had surpassed 15 billion streams and topped charts from Asia to Europe to North America. ## - 'On to something' - The major labels say they are not concerned. "TikTok has become an impressive motor for discovering music... and some independent artists use it very well," Jean Charles Mariani, head of strategy in Paris for Universal Music, told AFP. "But labels remain indispensable for the majority, because we have a deep expertise in the uses of this platform." TikTok is already thinking about next steps. Its latest service, SoundOn, offers unsigned artists a simpler way to upload songs, get paid and find distribution. Obermann hints this could see TikTok become more like a record label. "We think we're on to something," he said, highlighting recent viral hits by unsigned acts Muni Lang and Games We Play. "It's early days in deciding exactly how we work with these artists on building their careers. But we see we can play a much bigger role in the artist discovery process in a very hands-on way." ## - Pent-up demand - Obermann also hopes to revolutionise the way that songs are used for adverts -- a part of the business that is currently worth around $500 million globally per year but could be worth much more. "Traditionally, it meant something like a big car brand licencing Celine Dion's 'I Drove All Night' for their TV ads," he said. "But we have about one million small and medium businesses who want to make TikTok ads using music. And it's an absolute nightmare because our licences don't include commercial usage." Currently, each commercial use requires TikTok to get special permission from the label and all the songwriters, which can take months. "It's extremely inefficient. If we can redesign the way that works, (the global licencing business) would go from $500 million to several billion within a few years. There's that much pent-up demand. We're really working on that." Other ideas include live-streaming concerts and direct sales, with some artists already flogging vinyls and merch through the platform. But will TikTok disappear as quickly as it arrived? The ghost of MySpace, a previous revolutionary force in music, haunts its successors. "That's something we think about every day when we wake up," said Obermann. "We're confident TikTok has tipped into the cultural zeitgeist to a tremendous extent at this point. But it's always day one and you have to keep reinventing yourself to stay relevant." Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 11 Feb, 23:27 IST tiktok china ![HT Tech Awards](https://tech.hindustantimes.com/ht-tech-power-list-awards-2026/httech-awards-banner-new.webp) ### Related Stories 07 Oct 2026 06 Oct 2026 71,644,600,520,384 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/whats-next-for-tiktok-music-industry-revolution-lil-nas-x-type-cases-have-powered-the-app-71644600520384.html