2020 was a difficult year for artists and 2021 is not looking brighter either, but TikTok was the knight in shining armour that came to the rescue. Kind of.

It’s a great platform for songs, but not for artist branding. Ask a teen what’s their favorite artist and you’ll get silence. Instead they’ll rattle off their favorite songs.

But what about artist payout?

Naomi Pohl, Secretary General of the Musician’s Union says “the problems posed by TikTok are the same problems artists face with streaming in general: artists simply don’t get a fair cut. “It’s great news that artists who have their songs featured on TikTok will be properly licensed, but if the deal has been made with a major label, the already tiny payment will have be filtered through the record label – meaning that ultimately, the artist will only get around 10-15% of the total profit.”

“If you’re an artist, and you go viral on TikTok, it can be very difficult to work out how much you’re being paid, and what the deductions are for.”