Tiktok for musicians - what I've learned, how to grow, and how it can help your music career

Tiktok for musicians! This is what I've learned after being on the app for a few months. What I've learned to do to grow and have the app benefit my career as a musician.
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[@Llynks]

What are your thoughts on Tiktok ?

[@TanguyBlanchard]

I like creating but not a fan of just scrolling on TikTok. Don't really know how to word it, everyone's life looks the same and someone is constantly trying to seduce me

[@jasonfountain_official]

Tiktok all day erryday!!!

[@ThaMayorva757]

Can we collaborate on a song and I ask people do they mind doing a video to my music

[@davidsovereign4958]

Feeling kinda dumb right now - is there a difference between Tiktok and Tiktok App for musicians?

[@Llynks]

@@davidsovereign4958 no difference!

[@myemodiaries901]

This is inspiring. She currently has over 3,000 tiktok followers but is getting 42k monthly listeners. This is proof that you can have a small but dedicated audience on tiktok and still do so well

[@Llynks]

thanks!

[@Jurrell47]

this mightve been the best “how to promote yourself” vid ive ever seen. all things required to grow are very attainable and makes a lot of sense ty

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching, glad it helped!

[@IamQrock]

I just started Tik Tok recently and it's really cool seeing this video because before I started I had NO online presence, so it's all new to me not just the video aspect but the consistency of a new skillset which is video/story/content creation lol I'm sticking with it! it's fun. Thank for sharing this perspective!

[@Llynks]

of course thank you for watching!

[@Witherfall]

Good vid

[@Llynks]

thanks!

[@seelen999]

I have just discovered you, and your videos gave me a lot of courage and hope. Thank you a lot. Wishing you a successful, happy and fulfilling life 🎉❤

[@Llynks]

i'm so happy to hear that and that they have helped you on your journey

[@kayseethompson]

I've been having terrible results with getting out there on all Socials, but seem to be gaining ground on Tiktok. Great advice for clip ideas btw!

[@Llynks]

glad it was helpful!!

[@ThaMayorva757]

Let’s work

[@MindOverThisMatrix]

Thank you for this!

[@Llynks]

no problem!

[@theharpcondition]

Just saw this. Actually more inspiring than a majority of things I’ve seen. Thanks 🙏🏻 💪❤️🎶

[@Llynks]

happy to help!

[@timlucasentertainment]

Enjoying your Channel, thanks for sharing!

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching glad it's helpful!

[@lyndxnjoel6917]

I have a TikTok…. Currently building up my content. This was insightful because I was going to just push performance videos, but now I’ll try to create something more inclusive. Thank you!

[@Llynks]

of course! thanks for watching!

[@ReganKeely]

Thank you so much- you’ve convinced me. I love your down to earth energy about it it really inspires me that it’s possible ❤ Subscribed

[@Llynks]

thanks so much!

[@reflectingtrees6173]

I, see the confidence, it's actually educational for me. Thanks

[@Llynks]

[@iamnyron]

Thanks for creating a video with just a practical way to look at Social media and a down-earth talking approach. This really helped a lot!

[@Llynks]

of course!! glad it helped and thanks for watching!

[@Professor_Pat]

I learned a lot from this video. Thanks for sharing

[@Llynks]

thank you for watching!

[@hazzardsound1505]

Thanks so much for sharing!

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@Hookzter]

Thanks for the advice and tips around marketing via social media! Really helpful! 😄

[@Llynks]

of course! thanks for watching!!

[@FabianAntunes]

Hi! Thank you for this awesome video! I'm getting back to the drums after some years focused at my job and now I'm diving in all this social media stuff and it is overwhelming! haha But I really want to show my music to the world, so it's very good to see some nice insights and experiences like yours.

[@Llynks]

glad you found the video helpful!! best of luck!

[@levabognar]

I just came here and your voice is so unic

[@Llynks]

thanks!

[@cristianjeffries]

Thanks for the video!

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!!

[@Steven_Beddall]

Awesome and informative vid, thanks for sharing 🙏

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@ronsimart]

Thank you so much. This video was very helpful ❤😊

[@Llynks]

glad it could help!

[@elizabethrose5333]

Finally a video in which someone told me to stop simply singing into peoples faces because I do that and I didn't really know what's wrong with it because I don't know TikTok

[@Llynks]

tiktok is so confusing hahah

[@Sofiaguzmanmusic]

thank you!!!!! so helpful

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching and glad it helped!!

[@jhyd218]

Hey!! Thanks for video!

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@ThereseElene]

Its nice to see that other musicians struggle with growing on TikTok. I thought it was a thing, because we wonna stay true to ourself and our music. Its nice you have found your way of doing trends. Its still not my style. But I will ask people to duet with me soon. And I often use the music on the app, if I do something that is me and artistic. It could be walking bearfood or dancing in my own personal way. I have decided that growing will take the time it needs. Its like me and the TikTok algorithm is finding out who my audience is and how to get to them 😊

[@Llynks]

yes! great perspective!

[@ThereseElene]

@@Llynks Thank you ☺️🙏🏻

[@actualchrisreid]

Thanks for the tips! Made sure to follow you on TikTok for inspiration. Keep up the great work!

[@Llynks]

thank you!!!

[@actualchrisreid]

@@Llynks Of course!

[@lilo5629]

2500 followers is good keep going girl !

[@Llynks]

thanks!

[@JamesJamesMusician]

Thankyou appreciate the tips 🤗🤗🤗

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@remnantcrusade]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I didn't want to hear that I need to jump in on trends, but I do see that helps other creators gain followers faster. 😅

[@Llynks]

yes its a tough balance haha

[@willthehookgod]

That was dope! I love ur material. This is my first time watchin and I’ll definitely return🔒 Very good info & strategies 🔥

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching and so happy it helped!

[@ReAndrey247]

Omg thanks that’s great advice I made a TikTok account yesterday and had no idea on what to post or do with it 😂 grande! You dope

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@VaChiee]

6:53 right ive thought the same thing lol 🤣😂🤣 great vid thanks for the food for thought

[@Llynks]

hahahha

[@irsounds]

Super great advice!

[@Llynks]

glad it could help!

[@salamuthubulegoda4767]

Thank you very much

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@thepracticalgymnast8001]

Wow this was so helpful!

[@Enginerosemusic]

If you’re starting up they needs to be style and swag in your music

[@methodofkolishin]

Thanks for the video! I'm having a terrible time trying to get motivated into using TikTok- I honestly have no clue what to do lmao So your tips are greatly appreciated! :)

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching, glad it helped!

[@249m.]

thanks

[@anndynegative]

I'm also pretty small on tiktok...but it's a fun platform if nothing else!

[@Llynks]

absolutely!

[@VIIOfficial]

I've had a lot of people say that I would be meme material when I'm famous. Definitely true, but it's hard to show my personality online. Gotten a lot better at it though!

[@Llynks]

hahaha it's quite the thing to figure out for yourself!! and it always ebbs and flows!

[@Dekamusic07]

Use Johnny Bravo vid and Put your Music on is best way for promote (Trust me) (only Work for Hardstyle)

[@bonjr2854]

5:10 so i've recently heard this is not true lol pre-saves are apparently a distributor function rather than a spotify function, and so the statistic wouldn't even show up anywhere for spotify curators nor their algorithms

[@Llynks]

hmmm i will have to look into this, thank u!!

[@charliejofficial]

Musformation mentioned this and yes the Pre save data isn't given to Spotify until after the release I believe? Which is after playlists are usually determined? But it can help engagement on the first few days so isn't a useless feature

[@caesarzave6092]

this is great. Thank you I'm sort of skeptical about joining Tiktok for some reason but I might because I am so desperate at this point to see some start to my career in any way lol

[@Llynks]

it can be a huge help!

[@bensocci]

Great video. I just started tik tok 6 weeks ago. Having terrible results.

[@Llynks]

it's hard to figure out at first! And then the next challenge is getting consistent with it!

[@kylelyman_]

Considering starting a tiktok, appreciate the video 💯👍

[@Llynks]

of course!

[@huntrrams]

Thank you for your tips! I’m just starting out on Tik Tok ever since instagram is dying. Love your Tik Tok content! Question: where do I find these trending noises?

[@Llynks]

if you scroll the for you page and notice songs that keep coming up, those are usually the ones!!

[@eleendlight]

Beautiful ❤ am kinda shy and private. I prefer to just sing and call it a day. Lord help me Thanks for your video

[@Llynks]

You are so welcome

[@Mojokiss]

I'm at the breaking point of giving in to tiktok since I can't get any subscribers on any other traditional platforms. It's really hard, even tho I'm a professional musician. But I also got hacked and lost all my accounts I've had for 10 years last year. Now I'm just trying to get 100 youtube subscribers.

[@Llynks]

you've got this! just gotta start!! i'm sorry to hear about you getting hacked that's terrible

[@Mojokiss]

@@Llynks haha thanks. I posted a thing on there of me chasing a peacock that ate my potted plant and it got like 500 views... 3 likes. So it's a way to get views, which is cool, and if its a great video I can see how it could bring in subscribers. I just really do not like the addictive vibe of it. It makes people want sensationalism and not down to earth normal good stuff that enriches the core interests the viewer has... unless I haven't gotten that far yet

[@anoushkanoller6909]

could you give specific examples of posting stuff that is ‘more about others than yourself’ please? just so i know exactly what you mean x

[@bipolarfrequencies3395]

Ty love you 🤍

[@Llynks]

[@TheClaudio7078]

Money out no money in. That's Facebook

[@Llynks]

yup

[@nikov4543]

This is still relevant! Im just starting out now though, I wonder if there's any updates that you have?

[@MNAMatthewNinoAzcuy]

Great Channel Subscribing now. I appreciate the mental health stuff. I feel that....

[@Llynks]

thank you!!

[@michaelvetter1878]

Good stuff thanks so much! I def can see myself as a meme too 😂 I should get into that stuff

[@Llynks]

hahaha for sure! thanks for watching :)

[@4udioFour]

You're the first person I've seen to have the same color walls in their room

[@Llynks]

hahaha nice. i just moved so alas orange room no more

[@ΣτέφανοςΒέρδης]

Perfect video, one question please. When you made your account business, which category did you choose as a musician? I’ am confused which category i have to select as a musician. Thank you!

[@Enginerosemusic]

Yuh mean that if I’m starting off I don’t need ads on tiktok?

[@fereraswan]

Thanks for sharing this helpful video! Do you know whether artists are allowed to post covers of other artists’ songs on TikTok? Thanks in advance! :)

[@Llynks]

yes you can!

[@fereraswan]

Llynks Thanks for the fast reply! I was trying to find something on needing to have a mechanical license in order to do that (I’ve done that for other songs) but couldn’t find anywhere confirming that we could legally post covers. If you have anywhere you can point me to (if not no worries!) I’d appreciate it - thanks again! :)

[@ChristopherNicholas]

Do you think adding the popular hashtags really helps at all? I feel like if everyone uses it, then it becomes oversaturated and people end up not seeing your video. I could be wrong tho. I like the app and I plan on posting more on there after I create a bunch of content. I don't like making it like the day before or day of posting; just feels too rushed.

[@Llynks]

I feel like hashtags don't actually do that much haha. I feel u sometimes I film a few in advance so they are ready 2 go

[@TanguyBlanchard]

Just realized I actually had your clownface recent TikTok on my Fyp recently, hadn't realized it was you

[@Llynks]

hahaha

[@hazel_eyed_rose]

Hey I've just recently joined Tik Tok. I initially made a Business account as I put on my website link, however I could not use any trending sounds on my video. When I switched back to personal account, I could add my tracks, plus other trending music. Also, I am not allowed to do a paid promotion for my own music due to copyright issues, even though it's my own music. Have you experienced this? Is there anyway round this?

[@Llynks]

i actually am experiencing this as well, let me look into it!!!

[@krdon7164]

ur songs

[@MCKGSK83]

thanks for posting this video!! ive had some trouble growing on tiktok also.

[@Denots208]

Thanks for the great video! I'll follow you over there. I've been trying some Tiktok stuff but absolutely no traction at all, tried hashtags...When I try and post snips of my music videos they get the sound removed for copyright reasons SMH. It's a metal band and I'm having a hard time with the meme, trending funny stuff...Any Ideas?

[@Llynks]

What i've done in the past is just scroll on the FYP and figure out the trending songs and then just try to relate it back to music somehow!! but I also want to experiment with not relating absolutely everything back to music and show who i am outside of that as well. I'm wondering if that will be helpful

[@Denots208]

@@Llynks Sweet! I will try those things, thank you for the response.🙂

[@andrescen7577]

I'm a musician and I'm new to social media. Is there a tutorial on how to make the video itself? I'm curious to know how musicians get the audio in their videos?

[@Llynks]

They recently made an update that I think you need to go through apple music in order to play songs via the app? but what i do is use imovie and record my vid outside of the app and then paste my audio over it and then bring it over to tiktok!!

[@shannonbryan4748]

Im getting copyright muted for my own original music, do you have any advice or help on how to get my original content on there without it being blocked?

[@Llynks]

let me look into this!!

[@ElectroHouseProducer]

Sei bella 🙂

[@30yoshimitsu]

Your eyes 😍

[@Llynks]

[@ilseh729]

hii what is the app named?

[@Llynks]

tik tok!

[@brokenvanityboston]

Are you near Boston?

[@Llynks]

ya!

[@aksharuh]

So I’ve had my tiktok for a bit and I haven’t been able to get past the 100s of views. I’ve heard from musician friends who’ve blown up that once they hit the 10k mark their views seemed to grow more but idk I’m having the hardest time. Should I make a whole new tiktok and kinda start over? How long did it take you to start getting a decent number of views?

[@Llynks]

my views still fluctuate a ton, sometimes i get a solid amount, sometimes I don't get much at all. You don't need to start over, consistency is key tho. post different types of vids and see which ones perform the best!!

[@TheClaudio7078]

Facebook is too restrictive. If you send your music link to all yourr friends they prevent your messenger app from sending it eventually. Control freaks

[@krdon7164]

hello, nice song did u composed this songs by urself. I am also song writer

[@Llynks]

yes!

[@krdon7164]

@@Llynks 🤝

[@ftostay6754]

Heyy i have a question

[@matthewdaphnegospelacousti9308]

So would you say that Instagram and Tiktok can be used (partly) to give small portions of your songs that will get people to listen to the full version on Spotify or KZbin?

[@Llynks]

yes absolutely. def do this!!!

[@matthewdaphnegospelacousti9308]

@@Llynks Thankyou! Much appreciated🤗

[@lawrencerasmus]

I know you need to talk to the audience and talking to people is easy for me but for the life of me I can't talk to myself on a camera🤔

[@Llynks]

you get used to it w practice!!

[@Mojacaine]

How did you make your website?

[@Llynks]

squarespace!!

[@Mojacaine]

@@Llynks thank you

[@tgunmusicchannel1973]

I can't put my music videos on Tik Tok. They keep being muted due to copyright. I wrote and released everything myself, but I can't find a way to challenge the mute. Do you know what I'm doing wrong?

[@Llynks]

interesting, i'd contact your distributor directly about this!

[@veronicabianqui]

So helpful thank you! Just gave you a follow on tik tok ;-)

[@Llynks]

thank you!!!

[@moreuselessthansakura]

If I only post my song audio will I get traction?

[@Llynks]

most likely not if you don't have an engaging visual

[@jd3d_bitt3r]

Not big, 2500...meanwhile I've barely got over 100.

[@AMetalheadsJourney]

How can I direct people from TT to YT? Is there a place to add a video link?

[@Llynks]

once you reach 1k subscribers you can include a website at the top of your profile! You could put your youtube link there!

[@AMetalheadsJourney]

@@Llynks That's a lot. I have a TT acount that I hardly visit with 2 followers.. lol.. How often should I post?

[@Llynks]

@@AMetalheadsJourney it definitely depends. i used to post every day but now i sometimes only post once a week, whatever works for you as long as you feel as though what your sharing is valuable to others!

[@officialWWM]

I just followed you on TicTok :)

[@Llynks]

thank you!

[@ZaffinMusic]

★★★★★ Thanks for the excellent video. I have prodded TikTok away with a big pointy stick but after watching your video I have taken the plunge and downloaded it. As you said - it's free promotion. Incidentally: Love the the Minilogue so much that I made a video about it! It's a LoFi dream. May I ask where the name "Llynks" comes from?

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching! Llynks is a play on my name! My first middle and last name haha

[@blessmusicdaily]

HI llyna, are you independent artist?

[@Llynks]

yes!

[@blessmusicdaily]

@@Llynks wowww me too :)

[@metekarabacak2234]

Why this stupid Tiktok muting my vocal cover videos 🤦‍♂️

[@MrDinger24]

You might be good on utilising tik tok but I could not watch this, your editing and consistent jump on screen in each frame is so horrific to watch, actually giving me a sore head

[@ViolentVickie]

Cool! Just followed you on tiktok

[@Llynks]

thank you!

[@18wtfomg18]

Thanks for this!

[@Llynks]

thanks for watching!

[@B_M_n3y]

This was super helpful! Thank you so much!

[@Llynks]

glad it helped, thanks for watching!!