c. 2020–2021Reputable sourceWell documented
TikTok and the Age of Viral Discovery
On the timeline · around c. 2020–2021 · The Digital Age
What happened
By the early 2020s, the short-video app TikTok had become a leading engine of music discovery. A fifteen-second clip could send a song — new or decades old — surging up the charts: the number of TikTok-trending songs reaching the Billboard Hot 100 doubled from 2020 to 2021, with more than 175 songs charting.
Why it matters
TikTok rewired how hits are made, shifting power from radio and record labels toward viral, meme-driven, user-created moments — and forcing the entire industry to rethink how music is marketed and found.
Sources
- Billboard. New Study Confirms TikTok Drives Streaming · Reputable source