“This is another thing that TikTok has transformed. Because the platform brings creators so close to their viewers, people no longer feel that they are an audience member watching from the sidelines — they feel that they are an investor who has bought stock.”
u rly did that - i’ve been wanting to see a smart take on the “you ruined the 1975” effect and this is it!!!
stunning diagnostic--leaving my head spinning with so many thoughts! loved the inclusion of other voices and love that you note the way that early tik tok singer-songwriters really illuminated the power of stripped-back art
great read!! i remember in late 2020 when people in your comments were just constantly demanding “write one about…” as if you were a song writing machine and not a person. it became increasingly frustrating for viewers who loved ur music outside of tiktok how audiences just wanted to take and take and take even when you had already said can u atleast tell me if u like them :( however someone in tiktok comments once called u a “true bard of modern times” and i stand by that one 🫶
I loved this! I did my final essay for my college english class on this topic because of what you wrote and used you as a source- got an A and passed the class with an A!!!!
as a musician who’s trying to promote their upcoming EP (Sabrina Movitz, How It Works Out, May 13th baby!!!!) on tiktok this was such a welcome read!!! you are such an excellent writer Eliza.
a silver lining i want to add to this article is that last weekend I saw Olivia Barton (of “if i were a fish” fame) open for Lizzy McAlpine and i’m happy to say she’s got an incredible discography. her opening set was musically outstanding, warm, and thought provoking. She is so much more than a TikTok artist and I got converted to a full fan that night! So maybe the physical spaces where we are flesh and blood together are also the antidote to digital lobotomization
Also uh, it's owned by a huge and powerful Chinese company whose business is by default, sucking up data from all its users, and by default means the Chinese government can have infinite access to all that data at any given point if it decides it wants it because it's the world's most sophisticated authoritarian surveillance state in the world? That's a much more important point to me than the small likelihood of any given person getting a small temporary boost in fame or money from it.
Man, as a songwriter who stumbled on TikTok a little too late, I'm glad that I did. I had a couple of stints of trying my darndest to promote my music on there, to very little engagement. I found a couple of sweet fans who followed me over to Instagram, but apart from that, nada. And the posts I made which did go viral(ish), had nothing to do with my songs whatsoever. But I guess I'm glad that I didn't have that kind of quick engagement, cause it might have warped my songwriting.
I actually wrote my album over my newsletter on Substack. Even though at that time I was sharing demos etc to about 40 people, it was a great experience and the people that were hearing these early songs were fans who were going to love whatever I put out, and listen for the long haul.
Your last paragraph resonated with me a lot. I quit Spotify (as a listener) a couple of weeks ago and have already found the way I engage with music is different. It's more wholesome. More intentional. I'm curious to see how spending more time with my favourite albums will affect how I write over the next year.
incredible essay - the different quotes and examples you weaved in (including your own) made this hit so much harder and left me thinking a lot. thank you for writing!!
I think a lot of what you're saying about the direction of the TT songwriter community is also reinforced by big artists now—not just in that they make a couple videos for an album rollout, but that they actually respond to certain trends, releasing sped-up versions of songs, unreleased tracks, or whatever it was Taylor did with her re-recording those old Hunger Games contributions.
I can't with a straight face say that discographies are somehow sacred and are being tainted by the inclusion of songs like that, but it does leave a weird taste in my mouth, especially when contrasted with how most of the artists doing this still use social media to present as somehow authentic or approachable.
feeling so blessed rn that i don’t understand the tiktok references🙏🙏 great essay
“This is another thing that TikTok has transformed. Because the platform brings creators so close to their viewers, people no longer feel that they are an audience member watching from the sidelines — they feel that they are an investor who has bought stock.”
u rly did that - i’ve been wanting to see a smart take on the “you ruined the 1975” effect and this is it!!!
stunning diagnostic--leaving my head spinning with so many thoughts! loved the inclusion of other voices and love that you note the way that early tik tok singer-songwriters really illuminated the power of stripped-back art
great read!! i remember in late 2020 when people in your comments were just constantly demanding “write one about…” as if you were a song writing machine and not a person. it became increasingly frustrating for viewers who loved ur music outside of tiktok how audiences just wanted to take and take and take even when you had already said can u atleast tell me if u like them :( however someone in tiktok comments once called u a “true bard of modern times” and i stand by that one 🫶
I loved this! I did my final essay for my college english class on this topic because of what you wrote and used you as a source- got an A and passed the class with an A!!!!
PST led me to the rest of your music and binchtopia and for that reason I will be forever grateful 🫶🏼
u said everything that i’ve been thinking and more
as a musician who’s trying to promote their upcoming EP (Sabrina Movitz, How It Works Out, May 13th baby!!!!) on tiktok this was such a welcome read!!! you are such an excellent writer Eliza.
a silver lining i want to add to this article is that last weekend I saw Olivia Barton (of “if i were a fish” fame) open for Lizzy McAlpine and i’m happy to say she’s got an incredible discography. her opening set was musically outstanding, warm, and thought provoking. She is so much more than a TikTok artist and I got converted to a full fan that night! So maybe the physical spaces where we are flesh and blood together are also the antidote to digital lobotomization
Amazing essay, you managed to put into words a lot of feelings I have about all of this. Thank you!!!
Also uh, it's owned by a huge and powerful Chinese company whose business is by default, sucking up data from all its users, and by default means the Chinese government can have infinite access to all that data at any given point if it decides it wants it because it's the world's most sophisticated authoritarian surveillance state in the world? That's a much more important point to me than the small likelihood of any given person getting a small temporary boost in fame or money from it.
Man, as a songwriter who stumbled on TikTok a little too late, I'm glad that I did. I had a couple of stints of trying my darndest to promote my music on there, to very little engagement. I found a couple of sweet fans who followed me over to Instagram, but apart from that, nada. And the posts I made which did go viral(ish), had nothing to do with my songs whatsoever. But I guess I'm glad that I didn't have that kind of quick engagement, cause it might have warped my songwriting.
I actually wrote my album over my newsletter on Substack. Even though at that time I was sharing demos etc to about 40 people, it was a great experience and the people that were hearing these early songs were fans who were going to love whatever I put out, and listen for the long haul.
Your last paragraph resonated with me a lot. I quit Spotify (as a listener) a couple of weeks ago and have already found the way I engage with music is different. It's more wholesome. More intentional. I'm curious to see how spending more time with my favourite albums will affect how I write over the next year.
Thanks for writing such a great essay!
incredible essay - the different quotes and examples you weaved in (including your own) made this hit so much harder and left me thinking a lot. thank you for writing!!
I think a lot of what you're saying about the direction of the TT songwriter community is also reinforced by big artists now—not just in that they make a couple videos for an album rollout, but that they actually respond to certain trends, releasing sped-up versions of songs, unreleased tracks, or whatever it was Taylor did with her re-recording those old Hunger Games contributions.
I can't with a straight face say that discographies are somehow sacred and are being tainted by the inclusion of songs like that, but it does leave a weird taste in my mouth, especially when contrasted with how most of the artists doing this still use social media to present as somehow authentic or approachable.
Your audience did not forget about you, we’re right here
eliza, you are a prolific writer--what a brilliant piece!
blessed to read this