TikTok's Love For Sped Up Songs

Picture it: you're scrolling through TikTok and discover a new audio. It's snappy, a little high pitched, and it's catchy. So you head to your chosen DSP to find the same tune, but what you find is a little different. The official song is in a lower octave and it features a slower beat. What you heard on TikTok is nowhere to be found. This is an experience more and more of us are facing as sped up songs are going viral on the video-sharing app.

The popularity of sped up songs is transforming the way artists release their music. Take Sam Smith’s ‘I’m Not The Only One’ for example. The original track was released back in 2014, but in August 2022, TikTok user xxtristanxo shared this TikTok, featuring a sped up version of the track. The audio from that TikTok has now been used in 574.3 thousand videos, while the audio from the original release has been used in just 13.7 thousand videos.

After a month of viral success on TikTok, 'I’m Not The Only One (Sped Up)’ was released to DSPs, crediting xxtristoanxo and an artist by the name of Speed Radio. A quick look at the Speed Radio artist page on Apple Music and Spotify reveals a plethora of sped up releases, ready for listeners who enjoy a track that gets straight to the point and features some higher pitched sonics.

The official release of 'I’m Not The Only One (Sped Up)’ came just 13 days before the release of ‘Unholy’, Smith’s latest release. 'Unholy' also went viral after they shared a TikTok including a demo captured in-studio.

It’s clear that sped up song edits are in high demand. From Steve Lacy’s ‘Bad Habit’ to Demi Lovato's 'Cool for Tthe Summer', plenty of tracks are being re-released after going viral on TikTok. If you head to Apple Music or Spotify, you’ll likely be able to find fast edits of many songs uploaded by unverified artists too.

By speeding up a track, TikTok users can fit more of a release into their short-form content. They can experience a release in an all-new way too. For artists, sped up audio can present an opportunity to reinvent and re-release their music. In Smith's case, the new trend has given them a reason to re-release a song after 8 years.

While these sped up edits are proving helpful for viral success, only time will tell if they're also a significant contributor to long-term success.
There's a possibility that listeners won't remain loyal to an artist if the audio snippet that first got them hooked doesn't align well with the remainder of the artist's discography. TikTok trends move fast, so whether users’ love for sped up songs is here to stay, remains to be seen.

The Habit Weekly

Social Media, TikTok, Apps, Artist Tools, Reports, streaming

Key Takeaways From IFPI's Engaging With Music Report

Social Media, TikTok, Apps, Artist Tools, Reports, streaming

Last week, IFPI shared the Engaging with Music Report 2022, which features a collection of data sourced from 44,000 respondents, aged 16-64.

Social Media, TikTok, Apps, Artist Tools, Reports, streaming

Social Media, Campaigns, TikTok, Instagram, Apps, Artist Tools, Par

Zebr: The App Creating Viral Hits

Social Media, Campaigns, TikTok, Instagram, Apps, Artist Tools, Par

Beyoncé, Sam Smith, Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa all have a few things in common. Most of those things are outside the scope of this newsletter, so today, we’ll focus on just two of the commonalities. All of these artists have seen viral success on TikTok, and they’ve all gone viral with the help of Zebr.

Social Media, Campaigns, TikTok, Instagram, Apps, Artist Tools, Par

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, AR, Augmented Reality, Social Media

How Snap and Live Nation Are Bringing AR to Live Music

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, AR, Augmented Reality, Social Media

Back in May, we shared the news that Live Nation and Snap were joinig forces to deliver a series of augmented reality (AR) filters for a range of live music events, as part of a multi-year deal.

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, AR, Augmented Reality, Social Media

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, YouTube, DSPs, YouTube Shorts

Artists Utilising YouTube Shorts

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, YouTube, DSPs, YouTube Shorts

It's been just over a year since YouTube Shorts launched globally. So this week, we're reflecting on YouTube Shorts' artist partnerships, and their popularity with music fans.

Campaigns, Platforms, Content, Partnerships, Apps, YouTube, DSPs, YouTube Shorts

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs, streaming, Trends

Key Takeaways From Spotify's Culture Next Report

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs, streaming, Trends

This year’s report focuses on Generation Z, exploring how they’re “shaping audio streaming and culture” at large.

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs, streaming, Trends

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs

Extending Artists' Reach

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs

Since there's nothing quite as powerful as getting music in front of more eyes and ears, we're diving in to some of the most creative and controversial ways we’ve seen artists extend their reach.

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs

How DSPs are backing BTS' new album

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs

Whether they’re live streaming to millions of fans, breaking chart records or rolling out a new campaign, there’s often something fascinating going on in the world of K-Pop supergroup BTS. This week, they’ve piqued our interest as they’ve built the hype for their anthology album ‘Proof’, out today via Big Hit Music.

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns, DSPs

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns

Promoting 'Harry's House'

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns

In late March, Harry Styles delighted his fans when he announced that his third album, ‘Harry’s House’ would be released on May 20th.
The official announcement was made alongside the release of a short teaser clip, and the album’s art, arriving as part of a themed pre-release campaign. Here’s some of our favourite tactics from the rollout.

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns

Artists Who’ve Embraced The Power Of Apps

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns

]Each day, we open our phones and access a multitude of apps. Some for fun, some for convenience and some out of necessity. The past decade has seen a boom in the world of apps, with design capabilities improving and our overall time spent on apps increasing. This week, we’re taking a look at some of the best executed mobile phone apps from musicians.

Platforms, Apps, Campaigns