TikTok’s latest feature for musicians is a glossy video series


TikTok is introducing a new way for musicians on the platform to promote their music — this time through a video series.
The series, called “Off the Record,” is produced by TikTok and features musical artists like Shakira, Charli XCX, and Meghan Trainor. The short clips are similar to series like Song Exploder or The New York Times’ “Diary of a Song,” where artists talk about their inspiration behind songs, the writing and recording process, and more. The videos — some of which have already gone live — are shared by artists over the course of June.
TikTok also announced a hub on the app where Off the Record videos live. Users can find the page by searching for #OfftheRecord.
“Off the Record is part of TikTok’s continued efforts to support artists at all points of their journey and deepen the connection between artists and fans, which is only possible on TikTok,” the company wrote in a blog post.
TikTok has so thoroughly reshaped the music industry that there’s even a Billboard chart tracking the most popular songs on the platform. The platform has created new stars, reignited the careers of established musicians, and birthed a subgenre of music that feels engineered to go viral on the platform.
But the music industry’s relationship with TikTok has been rocky at times. Like with other streaming platforms, including Spotify, artists and labels have said that compensation is inadequate for the artists that make the music soundtracking billions of TikTok videos. In the age of powerful artificial intelligence tools, deepfake voices resembling famous musicians have flooded online platforms, and in many cases, artists don’t have control over their AI doubles. On TikTok, the friction reached a boiling point in February, when Universal Music Group — which represents artists like Taylor Swift and Drake — began taking down its catalog as licensing negotiations with TikTok stalled. The two parties reached a new deal in May, saying “protecting human creativity” was a shared goal.
In recent months, TikTok has introduced features that are more obviously promotional for musicians. A set of themed photo frames and “challenges” that rolled out for the release of Swift’s newest album, for example, came in the midst of UMG and TikTok’s fight, and Swift’s music returned to the platform before an official deal had been announced. The new TikTok-branded interview series is an extension of this: another marketing opportunity for two codependent industries.
TikTok is introducing a new way for musicians on the platform to promote their music — this time through a video series. The series, called “Off the Record,” is produced by TikTok and features musical artists like Shakira, Charli XCX, and Meghan Trainor. The short clips are similar to series…
Recent Posts
- Rumor suggests Nvidia’s had difficulties to iron out with chips for RTX 5070 and 5060 GPUs, seemingly leading to delays and possibly low stock levels
- Apple’s Murderbot series starts streaming in May
- Amazon MGM Studios acquires the license to thrill as its gains full creative control of the entire James Bond franchise in landmark deal
- The 3 Best Essential Oil Diffusers (and One to Avoid)
- Why OpenAI is trying to untangle its ‘bespoke’ corporate structure
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010