Abstract
The platformification of music has led to a significant reorganisation of music culture with the rise of microsongs on short-form video platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Stories, and Instagram Reels. This paper analyses the current state of microsongs on social media platforms, focusing on TikTok, and explores the challenges faced by musicians in navigating the digital reimagining of their art and the new aura this creates. The paper argues that the challenges facing the 21st century musicians whose work is based in the digital environment echo those faced by creators of newly mechanically reproduced art, as critiqued by Walter Benjamin. The symbiotic relationship between social media platforms and artists is examined, highlighting the benefits for musicians and songwriters, as well as the potential pitfalls of algorithmic based user direction. Data is gathered from a range of secondary sources and presents an analysis based on user behaviour and interaction with music content on TikTok. The findings suggest that while established artists and music production teams are best placed to overcome the challenges of platformification, the creation of microsongs remains a significant challenge for all musicians and their authenticity.
Published Version
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