Where is Jazz Streaming?
The nature of the virality of music has changed unrecognizably in the last decade, and more so in the last few years. Beyond the new jazz streaming service offerings, streaming of music changed how we promote it, buy it and consume it. And today, social media is even changing the way we find and interact with musicians as they provide more connectivity and a seemingly intimate window into artists’ worlds. For years, fans have been able to Tweet, like, share and message content to and/or about their favorite musicians, a level of interaction unfathomable two decades ago. But the unstoppable growth of video, largely fueled by TikTok, is changing things further.
TikTok, which has quadrupled since the pandemic, is now the #1 go-to medium, not just for consumers, but for talent hunters and record labels. It currently has 130 million active users in the US and over 2 billion worldwide. The platform has caught the attention and imagination of many sports and entertainment professionals as a marketing, recruiting and promotional tool.
A&R (Artist & Repertoire) agents at record labels turn to TikTok or Instagram to find budding musicians, and one of the most important things they look for is traction, i.e. how many views or followers the artists have. In the past A&R pros focused on finding, discovering and evaluating talent and deciding, based on the quality of their work and potential for commercialization, who they would back. Today, some might argue that their social following, engagement and traction may be more important than the quality of their music.
TikTok is an audiovisual medium, with a stronger emphasis on the video than the sound, especially as many videos are visualized in silent mode. So, for musicians to gain traction on the platform, their audio content has to be interesting and memorable to the eyes too. This can be a challenge for musicians who make great music but aren’t as visually creative. How do they stay relevant on social media?
For Jazz musicians specifically, how do they gain traction on the platform so as to be discovered and sign record deals? Jazz isn’t pop or rap, it doesn’t have the snazzy or catchy elements that usually makes certain songs go viral on TikTok or be used in reels. Can upcoming jazz musicians keep up with the changing demands to stay in the game? Must they spend time creating short-form content that is catchy to gain traction on social media platforms? Or can they sustain being all about the music and not partake in this manner?
Record labels push musicians to be active on social media by posting lip sync battles, duets, reels, and sometimes even dances. Musicians have spoken out saying they just want to make music, and this takes away from their art. Halsey, a singer-songwriter, wrote on her TikTok that her record label, Capitol Records, wouldn’t let her release a song if it didn’t have a viral moment on TikTok. Other artists like Florence and the Machine and Charli XCX have spoken up about the pressure their labels put on them to post more.
TikTok audiences skew very young and one could argue the nature of the content is far removed from what jazz audiences are looking for. But think about Facebook, which was born less than two decades ago and today is considered the “old-people” social medium, predominantly used by Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers. TikTok is growing, changing, evolving but will undoubtedly appeal to larger masses and demographics. The “JackAss-like” videos posted today may likely evolve to include intellectually-inspired content that appeals to jazz audiences and even classical music audiences.
Jazz is largely driven by an artistic passion and commitment. Unlike pop, jazz artists are mostly concerned with their art form and not how to promote it. But changing times may require artists to surround themselves with the proper talent to address new and upcoming communications trends.