How TikTok's Algorithm Is Rewriting Music Discovery

In 2019, getting on a major Spotify playlist was the golden ticket. In 2025, a 15-second TikTok can do more for an artist's career than a million-dollar marketing budget.

The shift has been seismic. Artists are now composing with virality in mind — hooks front-loaded, drops optimized for the 7-second attention window, lyrics designed to become captions. Some see it as democratization. Others see it as the death of the album.

We talked to five emerging artists about how TikTok has shaped their creative process, for better and worse.