TikTok will be hosting a virtual talent show for upcoming music producers. This is a great opportunity for those looking to join the industry. What’s more, this overwhelmingly positive project features the prominent talent show figure, Simon Cowell, as well as accredited producer, Max Martin, and others!
What is it, really?
This is a great opportunity for upcoming musicians. The equipment and software normally required in a kitted-out home studio are often unaffordable for young music producers. That is not to say home studios have no merit. In fact, they can become useful in the later stages of a musician’s career. Additionally, these studios are convenient for work-from-home settings.
Thankfully, music production is now accessible due to the development of public recording studios around the globe. Today, professional studios make creating new music a plausible route for artists who cannot afford a home studio.
What is a ‘stem’?
As the project name suggests, this competition centers around the release of a musical stem. This stem has been created by prolific hit makers Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, and Ali Payami. A stem describes the raw input in production software that creates the music you listen to every day. This entails the separate inclusion of drums, bass, vocals, flute, and just about every other digital sound you can imagine.
Okay, so what?
What separates this type of release from a simple single? Firstly, you can isolate, mix, and reproduce each musical element into a full song. This means that beginner or new musical talents can produce an entirely new track easily.
By providing both the tools – in the platform – and the building blocks – the sample – TikTok and Simon Cowell are innovating the music production industry at a ‘grassroots’ level. This project may, then, produce a new generation of talents to dominate the music industry.
Who have they got to surpass?
In an industry full of musical giants, there is no shortage of inspirational figures to look up to. Where dance music is diversifying and becoming more popular, the rise of artists like Fred Again has shaken the music scene. After a viral Boiler Room set, Fred Again has gained a lot of attention as a breakthrough artist. Tracks like Turn on the lights again – which has amassed over 53 million streams on Spotify alone since its release in January – have seen the British DJ build a huge fanbase in the short space of time since he burst onto the scene.
Across the ocean and the sea of genres, US record executive, producer, and DJ Metro Boomin has been causing lots of noise in the R&B/Hip-Hop scene. After 300,000 streams in its first week, his latest album has been critiqued to be one of the albums of the year. Following its release, is a feature film that depicts a superhero version of himself with commentary from the iconic figure of Morgan Freeman.
A final word
In conclusion, this project is a great opportunity for new music lovers to explore their passion. They can also gain a chance to put their work on the big stage. In an industry where new artists are popping up all the time in a rapid rise to success, this foothold into the industry can play host to some of the world’s future talents.
TikTok, Simon Cowell, and all the other minds and organizations behind the scheme seem to have hit the nail on the head. The talent show submission period ended on the 12th of December, but it will be interesting to see each of their success following the event.
