On June 22, 2020, Pulse Nigeria had a conversation with Nigerian comedian and viral content creator, Josh2Funny. Towards the end of the conversation, he made a bold statement, “I’ve always said that TikTok is a thief.”
This attack was triggered by a comment from a fan, “#DontLeaveMeChallenge now has over 100 million views on TikTok…” Josh2Funny also said that, “If I created something that is giving your platform traction from which you will generate ad revenue, then you should be able to help me monetize like YouTube does.”
By June 23, 2020, #DontLeaveMeChallenge had 340 million views on TikTok. Across Twitter, people have since been calling out TikTok while making a case with how streams from artists count directly from TikTok’s major rival, Triller.
As compelling an argument as Josh2Funny and Twitter users make, it’s not that simple an issue.
Triller
Triller is one of the biggest video-sharing social networks in the world. In December 2019, it was reported to have 26.5 million users - that number must have doubled since lockdown measures were instituted across the world as COVID-19 tore through human barricades.
It is true that use of music on the app counts directly as streams on Apple Music. Joel Houenou, Head of Music at Triller tells Listen Africa! that, “[Use of music] counts for streams [on] Apple Music. When you are on IOS and you have Apple Music subscription, you can listen to the full song while watching a video.
“[When you use any song that is also on Apple Music] You see the Apple Music logo there. When you click on it. It opens an Apple player right after.”
On May 14, 2020, Ditto Music also reported that, “Triller has a currency all of it’s own in the form of Gold and Gems…
“Fans can exchange real cash for Triller Gold. They can then “donate” the Gold they buy to verified users. Once you’ve earned a certain amount of Gold, you can convert it into Gems, which can then be cashed out as real money. It’s a great way for fans to support artists, but here’s the kicker.
“[However] Only verified users will get a “donate” button on their Triller profile.”
Nonetheless, the mode of conversion in streams from videos is not exactly direct. It’s not like 100m views on a Triller video will directly translate into 100m streams for the song in the video. There are mechanisms to this.
TikTok
TikTok is by far the largest video-sharing social network in the world. On June 24, 2020, it was reported that TikTok apps had been downloaded over two billion times across the world. It was the most downloaded app of 2019 and will likely be the most downloaded app of 2020.
In a chat with a TikTok rep, Listen! gathered that, there’s a direct monetization strategy in place for creatives by TikTok and ByteDance, it’s just not in Africa yet because it’s still new in Africa. But besides that, what TikTok does is amplification that would inevitably convert into streams for an artist.
For example, what TikTok did for Simi and ‘Duduke’ was to help the music, create and challenge and help the song go viral. The result was a global trend and the success of the song. It also happened with ‘Know You,’ ‘Bop Daddy,’ ‘Geng’ and so forth.
TikTok doesn't pay creatives just like Instagram doesn’t. However, TikTok influencers on the platform can get paid through what they call soft advertisement for a product. If it’s pure advertisement, the system will take the content down.
Influencers can also get paid through brand influencing, collaboration and amplification if they have managers. The terms and conditions of the platform reveal all these things.
For creators like Josh2Funny, what they have to do is get in touch with the platform and get a manager who can show them how to go about their content, sign contracts and help them launch their content which could in turn generate revenue.
There is a plan for that, even though it’s not as direct as it is for creatives in other countries.
However, TikTok cannot pay people for viral hashtags. It’s a different thing if a registered person created a video with millions of views. If they pay people for hashtags, then they might have problems on their hands - a hashtag is flexible. Even if they will pay you for your direct content, you will have to register with them and proper documentation has to be done.
When TikTok amplifies songs, they document, sign contracts and go through publishing companies and so forth. With #DontLeaveMeChallenge, it’s not like someone else has been getting credit for content deliberately promoted by TikTok to make money for itself. It’s a trend that went viral in-app on its own. #DontLeaveMeChallenge is not in anybody’s name. If #DontLeaveMeChallenge was launched in Josh2Funny’s name, it would be tied to his account but it’s not.
An insider also tells Listen Africa! that Josh2Funny wasn’t even the one who popularized the trend on TikTok, it was Don Jazzy. TikTok almost used the hashtag to promote a MAVIN artist, till MAVIN stopped them from using it.
The challenge is also not tied to Josh2Funny’s account because there has been no conversation with TikTok per the terms and conditions of the platform.
In the end…
The issue of content monetization will take a while before clarity sets in, but for now, both TikTok and Triller are doing their best for creators and artists. It would be better to read the terms and conditions of both platforms so we don’t have problems going forward.
Creatives can also get in touch with Listen Africa! for clarity on future issues as regards content monetization on both platforms. But as much as direct monetization is important for artists on both platforms, a viral song on TikTok might get more traction than a viral song on Triller - depending on context.
TikTok is the larger platform, with the larger traffic and muscle. Equally, TikTok has a streaming platform called Resso, which is only operative in India at the moment. Word on the street is that monetization for artists will come via that streaming platform when the time is right.
Triller is also working hard and fast to help artists and the creative industry monetize better. Its model has always been focused on the music industry.
Playlisting vs. Artists vs. Rightness
In the third quarter of 2019, Daniel Runcie of Trapital Media did a podcast on RapCaviar, Spotify’s prime Hip-Hop playlist that has been credited for blowing up artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby and more. RapCaviar has morphed into something beyond just a playlist and into a lifestyle.
But on the flipside, there is a rush to get on that playlist because artists know what playlist placements can do for their careers.
In a February 2, 2020 article for Pulse Nigeria by Motolani Alake, one-half of LISTEN Africa!, he wrote that, “Instead of simply striving for playlist placement, artists need to start exploring the possibility of video-based social media platforms like Triller and TikTok for promotion.”
Already, TikTok has influenced the success of hits like Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' and Roddy Rich's 'The Box.' While Nigeria is not at that level where TikTok and Triller have immense influence yet, artists need to start thinking outside the box.”
But that’s one-half of the problem because artists are now actively looking to jump-start their careers with playlist placement because they are hungry for a hit. Unknown to them, a hit is only the start of a career. A hit might give you a start, but hardwork and a good background will give you a career.
While some of these artists who keep striving for placement have worked hard, most of them are just blatant opportunists who are subconsciously driven by vanity.
But on the flip side of the argument, playlists are the new reality and there’s nothing anybody can do about it. If your artist was Lil Uzi Vert whom RapCaviar basically gave a jolt to, you would not be complaining about playlists. It’s just like album bundles/bundling and the fight for No. 1 placement on Billboard charts.
The only reason Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled and Tekashi Six9ine came out to social media to complain about bundling is because their bundles were not as effective as Travis Scotts, Tyler The Creators and Justin Beiber’s/Ariana Grande’s respectively. Everybody wants to get on playlists and everybody wants a No. 1 album.
The times we live in dictate the importance of getting on playlists and album bundles. Playlist curators are the new DJs with whom artists must seek favour. You either get with the times and try to succeed or risk obscurity. Playlists and album bundles are not fair, but that’s just the way of the world.
In Nigeria, music blogs ruined the business for merchants of physical copies and pirates alike. But guess what, music blogs are the single most important cogs in the growth of Nigerian music in the past 20 years - until they became a problem, that is. The times dictate the mode of advancement in music.
Getting your music on music blogs between 2007 and 2012 was all the rage. If you get the top banner on a music blog, you know people will listen. That’s what playlists are now - everything has a purpose and a lifetime. In 20 years, playlists might also give way for something else and the playlist generation will also complain.
There are two sides to every conversation and both sides can sometimes be valid. Let’s discuss, not kill each other.
#ListenAfricaExtra Here is additional content from the past week;
- Motolani Alake had an interview with the originator of #DontLeaveMeChallenge, Josh2Funny.
- In his column Inside, Motolani Alake had a conversation with Bukola Sawyerr-Izeogu, CEO and Founder of BukiHQ Media about PR in Nigeria.
- Here is why Twitter is not always a toxic place.
- Veteran Culture Journalist, Ayomide Tayo launched the first installment of his newsletter, Naija Times.
- Veteran Journalist and Tech professional, Chiagoziem Onyekwena also manages GetDotAfrica, a weekly newsletter on happenings in African Tech.
- Davido Adeleke, Head of Communication at Eko Atlantic started Communique, a newsletter.
You can get the latest installment of LISTEN PLAYLIST HERE
Shoot us an email for playlist inclusion or a feature: curatealisten@gmail.com