How TikTok Impacts the Charts
When TikTok was released back in 2016, it was mainly considered an app for sharing silly lip sync videos. Now, with an estimated 900.7 million active users, the app has grown into something of a cultural conductor; responsible for creating careers and acting as a diffuser of mainstream culture.
Sceptical? Well, according to an article by CBS, “43 percent of TikTok users reported getting their news from the application”, with Tik Tok possessing “more growth than any other platform since 2020, and that growth was consistent across all age demographics.”
With TikTok acting as an amplifier of popular culture, it begs the question: How big an impact does this app have on the charts? Particularly, when it is an application known for original sounds and trending audios.
In 2023, according to Euro News, “the majority of number one singles in the UK and US were connected to TikTok engagement”. In addition, a whopping “13 of the 16 UK Number Ones were paired with viral moments on the platform.” In 2024, we need only look closely at some of the songs currently in the Top 10 Official UK Singles Chart to see its persisting influence.
Currently sitting at No.1 in the Official UK Singles chart is Noah Kahan’s ‘Season of the Sticks’. The song has been sitting at number one for 16 weeks now, despite its release in October 2022. According to Vox, Kahan “turned a TikTok viral song into an enormously successful commercial career.”
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’, which is currently sitting at number three, is a similar story. Bextor’s hit came out in 2001, but thanks to its presence in dark psychological comedy, Saltburn, it has had the opportunity to gain traction. The Guardian has described Bextor’s song as “the latest hit to experience a chart spike thanks to a well-placed sync or viral moment.” Bextor’s tune is part of a current Saltburn TikTok trend which features rich kids dancing around to this song in their lavish homes. #Saltburn currently has over 4 billion views on the application.
Popular Tik Tok original sounds also seem to correlate with chart success. Number four in the official chart is ‘Lovin on Me’ by Jack Harlow. Before the song was even released, Harlow shared a snippet of the song on Tik Tok. According to Hip Hop DX, the snippet “racked up 1.5 million likes and 75,000 bookmarks.” Speaking about the app to GQ, he said “Almost all big songs blow up on TikTok. Now, some songs are literally rooted in some dance challenge that blew it up. But some songs go big, and as soon as they go big they’re gonna be big there, because it’s what kids are listening to.”
A song that is perhaps most evident of this notion of TikTok simultaneously reflecting songs that are big and also causing songs to blow up is Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’. The song was originally released in 2019, but according to Vulture, a resurgence of the track is likely due to the widespread coverage of The Eras Tour and its huge presence on Tik Tok. Swift’s performance of the track on tour involves her outspoken love for its bridge, and this has caused it to become a Viral TikTok moment. #cruelsummerbridge currently has 154.7 million views on Tik Tok with #cruelsummer sitting at 2.8 billion and the Eras Tour hashtag sitting at a mighty 31 billion. According to NME, Swift thanked fans for their streams of ‘Cruel Summer’ which then led the label to release it as a single. It is currently sitting at number eight in the charts.
While the Official UK Singles chart is based on audio and video streams, downloads, CDs and vinyl, it is fair to say that Tik Tok plays a huge part in chart success via viral sounds/ videos. If the application is growing in user number more than any other application, as CBS reports, there may be an even bigger correlation between a viral Tik Tok moment and chart success in the future.
References:
1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1327116/number-of-global-tiktok-users/
2. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/number-of-people-getting-news-from-tiktok-doubled-
since-2020-pew-research/
3. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/12/06/how-tiktok-has-shaped-this-years-
music-
charts#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20the%20majority%20of,viral%20moments%20on
%20the%20platform.
4. https://www.vox.com/culture/23920808/noah-kahan-vermont-dial-drunk-stick-season-
tiktok
5. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/12/sophie-ellis-bextor-interview-
murder-on-the-dancefloor-tiktok-saltburn
6. https://www.tiktok.com/tag/saltburn?lang=en
7. https://hiphopdx.com/news/jack-harlow-lovin-on-me
8. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/men-of-the-year/article/jack-harlow-interview-2022
9. https://www.vulture.com/2023/10/cruel-summer-taylor-swift-single-hot-100.html
10. https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cruelsummer?lang=en
11. https://www.tiktok.com/tag/erastour?lang=en
12. https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swifts-cruel-summer-re-enters-uk-charts-
four-years-after-release-3463815
13. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/