TikTok is the latest trend. But can you get famous off of the Chinese-owned platform? I’m not sure if you can build a meaningful audience through TikTok.  Everybody is trying to build popularity off these platforms which also makes it difficult. Plus, the concept of building off a platform, then starting another site is no longer new.

Is TikTok more than a passing fad? I don’t know, but do you remember when Snapchat was hyped as the next big thing?

Don’t get me wrong, TikTok does have some features that makes it stand out. TikTok is all about fun. Hence, it’s not really a place for brands and social media marketers, it’s all about fun.

Hashtags, lip synchs and the ByteDance are the pillars of the platform. The algorithm quickly learns each user and taste and then rolls out an endless stream of content hooking the user. People spend about 45 minutes a day on the platform.

Users aren’t pressured to build a sizable audience or at least that doesn’t seem to be the goal like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Social media has paved the way for pop artists to stick around a lot longer, and maybe a little too long? It wasn’t ages ago when the artist had to prove themselves to an audience with songs and performance. Their careers would slowly dissipate if they failed to deliver. Today, we see a plethora of artists that haven’t released a meaningful song in a decade and are still hogging the spotlight. All they need to do is put their face in front of their iPhone and upload it on Instagram and TikTok with a crafty caption.

Let’s be honest, many of these artists that emerged 10+ years ago and who are still taking up media real estate wouldn’t have been around prior to the advent technology. It would have been like “Do you remember that girl swinging nude on a ball? Oh Yeah! I remember, where is she now?”

I understand trying to extend the shelf life as long as possible, but yesterday’s pop artists can really milk the system, more so now than ever.

Katy Perry scored an American idol gig to play music judge for $25 million. Kelly Clarkson spins around The Voice chair for reasonable pay. Moreover Instagram used these artists to dominate the platform to achieve a level of growth.

To succeed in football, a player must deliver. When a player stops performing , so does the career. Whitney Houston rose to fame with songs and performance. When she released mediocre material coupled with disastrous live shows her career began to unravel. If that trajectory continued, she would have been a faded photograph that brought memories of bygone days.

Today, an artist can stay somewhat relevant even when they are no longer on top of their game because of social media, the iPhone camera, and TV deals.

I’m not here to sour on artists that don’t deliver the goods. I have more or less discovered that it’s the emerging talent that have less of the spotlight when the aging artists refuse to leave or just want to hog the spotlight with shenanigans. The spotlight isn’t big , it’s a small. It should shine its light on the players who are performing, not bench sitters who refuse to leave and who photobomb themselves into the limelight with selfies.

Do artist have a moral responsibility to pass the baton to the next generation of artists? Really, one has to ask oneself, when is enough is enough?

Talk about not-the-right timing. Dua Lipa just released her chart topping second album with amazing reviews. The lead off single Don’t Start Now has become a mega hit.  Consequently, the UK artist cannot tour to support  the new album.  Lets be honest, the sting of isolation is more painful for the pop singer because a #1 album with round-the-clock radio play doesn’t come often. Artists make the most of out of the momentum by touring. The handshakes, the radio station visits, and meet & greets are part of the promo cycle. There’s a lot of money on the table with a hit album, especially for a pop artist. What can you do? Dua Lipa will make the best of an untimely situation by starting on her third album.

As I said the last few weeks, music thrives in times of crisis.

Global Citizen and the World Health Organization (WHO) — in association with the United Nations Foundation have rallied up some artists and will present a global broadcast to support frontline healthcare workers

The special is called “One World: Together at Home”. It will air at 8 p.m.ET April 18 on ABC, NBC and ViacomCBS networks, and iHeartMedia.

The virtual broadcast will tell stories of those who have been impacted by COVID-19 as well as share behind the scenes of frontline healthcare workers around the world.

Lady Gaga coordinated the event and will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Appearances include 25 musicians – Chris Martin, Eddie Vedder, Lizzo, Elton John, John Legend, Alanis Morissette, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Billie Joe Armstrong, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Maluma, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Idris and Sabrina Elba, and David Beckham.

The Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, & Joan Jett tour is nearly cancelled according to insiders.

“The tour is almost 100% cancelled. Rehearsals at an unknown location in LA were supposed to happen in May. Those have been cancelled. Given the band’s age and to quote the contact’s words “declining ability”, it may not even get rescheduled.”

This was going to be the rock tour of the summer. Apparently, 700,000 tickets were sold generating over $90 million in the first weekend of sales. The tour was set to kick off in June.