The platform, very popular with teenagers and on which users can accompany their short videos with music of their choice, now allows many artists to break through.

The Grammy Awards, equivalent to the Oscars of music, have taken note of this.

Their category rewarding the best new artists reflects the musical eclecticism appreciated by Internet users.

"Social networks have made the music industry much more responsive to public tastes, rather than wanting to define by authority who is the star of the moment," said Tatiana Cirisano, an analyst at MIDiA Research, to AFP.

The phenomenon is far from new: Justin Bieber was discovered on Youtube and Shawn Mendes made a name for himself thanks to Vine, an application now defunct.

But according to Ms. Cirisano, "TikTok has really exploded" over the past few years, to the point of becoming "an integral part of pretty much every artist's strategy".

In an unmistakable sign, the last two Newcomer of the Year Grammy Award winners, singer Olivia Rodrigo and rapper Megan Thee Stallion, have enjoyed resounding success on the app.

Among the nominees in the category this year, we find Latto, Muni Long and Omar Apollo, three American performers whom the Chinese application has itself labeled as being among the best emerging artists on its platform.

American singer Olivia Rodrigo at the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony, February 5, 2022 © ANGELA WEISS / AFP

Brazilian Anitta, who rose to fame on TikTok thanks to a dance challenge on her hit "Envolver", and Italian Maneskin, Eurovision rockers whose cover of "Beggin'" was a hit on the application, are also in the running.

Many other nominees, like rock band Wet Leg, jazz duo JD Beck, rapper Tobe Nwigwe, bluegrass singer Molly Tuttle and jazz performer Samara Joy, also have a strong following on TikTok.

"The New MTV"

"That's where my generation is," Samara Joy recently explained to NPR radio, recounting having garnered more than 100,000 subscribers in one month after joining the application.

"People come up to me and say, 'I found you on TikTok, and I was supposed to come see a show.'

Brazilian singer Anitta at the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, November 17, 2022 © Ronda CHURCHILL / AFP/Archives

Most Grammy awards have little, if any, connection to an artist's commercial success or the size of their fan base.

But for the revelation of the year category, the main criterion is the ability to conquer the general public.

It is therefore the price "on which people have the most impact", continues Ms. Cirisano.

And now, "90% of artists who manage to make themselves known to the public do so on Tik Tok", adds the analyst.

“TikTok is the new MTV,” sums up Cassie Petrey, founder of digital marketing company Crowd Surf.

In the 2000s, the clips of the contenders for the title of revelation of the year were looping on this American music channel, she recalls.

Now, "TikTok is one of the mainstream media platforms of our time."

The app is even changing the way record labels unearth talent, according to Ms. Cirisano.

Instead of sending recruiters around small venues, labels expect artists "that they already have an audience, and that they have already broken through a bit on their own".

What democratize the industry, which has never been so accessible.

But some artists complain about the impact of social media on their mental health, or fear they spend more time on it than actually creating.

Others fear abuses, faced with certain composers and performers who are now adapting their music to make it compatible with the laws of a universe based on algorithms and videos of a few seconds.

The Italian rock band Maneskin, during a concert in New York in September 2022 © ANGELA WEISS / AFP/Archives

Exaggerated concerns for Ms. Cirisano, who recalls that other technological innovations such as the use of auto-tune (an effect that modifies the voice) or mobile phone ringtones have drawn similar criticism.

"In the end, I think good music will always break through," concludes the analyst.

© 2023 AFP