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Back in radio’s heyday, DJs largely determined what songs became most popular. Now, it seems, we have TikTok for that.
Capitalizing on its role in shaping music trends, TikTok recently announced that it teamed up with Billboard to create a Top 50 Chart, which tracks “the most popular songs on the platform in the US” based on creations, engagement, and views.
TikTok says it’s the first attempt to chart the popularity of songs on the platform across the US, giving users, artists, and brands a clearer picture of what music is trending.
First of their kind: Rapper Sexyy Red earned the first No. 1 spot on the new chart with her song “SkeeYee,” which the New York Jets might have helped popularize.
In the HBO docuseries Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets, players and coaches sang and danced to the song during practice. Last Monday, when Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs scored a touchdown against the Jets, he celebrated by yelling “SkeeYee!”
Sexyy Red appeared three more times in the inaugural chart. Following her at No. 2 was Doja Cat with “Paint the Town Red,” while Taylor Swift came in third with “August.” Swift had six songs appear on the Top 50, the most of any artist. The chart will be updated every Thursday, according to TikTok.
Big picture: Since the dawn of TikTok, brands have been eager to connect with users by getting in on its fast-moving trends. The chart presents brands with “a new way to engage with music fans at scale,” Billboard President Mike Van said in a statement.
When using music on TikTok, brands can be limited by licensing. “Anytime you’re using music on TikTok—and not just as a brand, but a brand’s influencers using music—that still needs to be licensed,” Joe Belliotti, former SVP of brand solutions at music licensing platform Songtradr, told Marketing Brew last year. “Brands are constantly getting in trouble for music on TikTok.”
However, TikTok does have a commercial music library of songs that are pre-cleared for brands to use.