TikTok is expanding into live music with a December event in Arizona
TikTok started as a video-sharing program where people posted themselves doing silly dances. Now it’s a global social media force that’s having a greater and greater impact on the direction of music. The company’s latest ambition? To get into the live music space.
The first-ever TikTok live music event–called “TikTok in the Mix”–will happen on December 10 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, a baseball stadium with a maximum capacity of about 15,000.
The lineup so far features TikTok darlings Cardi B (the champion in the mix with 23.6 million followers on TikTok), Brazilin artist and Anitta (22.7 million), Charlie Pugh (22.1 million), and Niall Horan (6 million), . They’re also bringing in a series of artists from the platform’s Elevate, their emerging artist program. If you’re into TikTok, you might recognize these names: Sam Barber, Isabel LaRosa, Kaliii, and LU KALA. A portion of ticket sales will go to a charity partner.
Obviously, the entire day will be designed to be as TikTok-able as possible with flashy stages and lots of visuals. All streamed video will be in the vertical format. The company says that TikTok in the Mix “will bring to life TikTok’s famous For You feed, with a range of activities inspired by our community’s favourite trends.”
Will this event double as an announcement for the launch of TikTok Music in the US? Very doubtful. The company’s streaming platform is only live in five countries and faces a lot of licensing hurdles in other territories. Might this be a proof-of-concept thing that will encourage partnerships with bigger promoters like Live Nation and AEG? Possibly. Is it a way for TikTok to get more into bed with the music industry? Absolutely.
Tickets go on sale through Tickets.com (interesting, no?) on November 2 and is being promoted by Danny Wimmer Presents. Although it’s an all-ages event, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
It’s an interesting idea. TikTok has sponsored plenty of things but has never staged an event itself unlike Apple and Spotify
