TikTok: a viral popstar factory
抖音：两个月，极速造星！
In just two months, TikTok managed to turn Nathan Evans, an unknown singer-songwriter, into a viral star with a record deal and a list of UK tour dates.
仅仅用了两个月，抖音就将一个音乐界的无名小卒Nathan Evans变成了一个当红音乐人。做到这些，只用了一份唱片合约和一张英国巡演时间表。
“It was about four days after I posted ‘Wellerman’ that it passed 1 million views. I never expected it to take off,” says 26-year-old Evans, who started the TikTok sea shanty trend of early 2021.
26岁的Evans在2021年初才开始玩抖音，他说：“我上传到抖音上的Wellerman短短四天就突破了一百万浏览量，我之前从没想过它会成功。”
Evolving from virtual unknown to signed artist usually takes years of rejection and uncertainty, but over the past 12 months TikTok has provided the perfect platform to fast track your music career. As much as it’s mostly known for its viral trends with an algorithm that can predict what you’re going to like before you’ve even thought of it, the app has also had a staggering effect on the music industry.
在过去的一年里，抖音为音乐人提供了快速步入职业正轨的完美平台，一改之前成为签约艺术家通常要经历数年被拒的被动局面。这款app以其为人们所熟知的用户喜好算法（预测用户的喜好从而推荐相应的视频），对音乐产业造成了巨大影响。
Challenging YouTube and Instagram’s livestream dominance, throughout the pandemic TikTok has also recruited artists for live performances. Most recently, Justin Bieber’s livestream of songs from his never-performed-before album Journals received over 4 million views in one weekend.
疫情期间，抖音还招募名人在平台进行直播，对YouTube和Instagram在直播界的主导地位造成了挑战。最近，贾斯丁·比伯直播演唱了他从未发布的专辑里的歌曲，一个周末就收获了超过四百万播放量。
In early February, UMG announced they had entered a new global partnership with TikTok. The label will work with Tiktok to formulate a licensing deal that will see artists and songwriters compensated whenever their music is used as a sound on the platform,which means every time a song is used – even on a 15-second TikTok – artists will receive revenue.
环球唱片公司在二月初宣布了与抖音的新环球伙伴关系。公司与抖音达成的许可协定表明，只要一个音乐人的歌曲在平台上被使用，即使只是一条15秒的短视频，这个音乐人也能得到收益。
Tiktok: a music talent detector
抖音：新星收割机
The unbelievably short “unknown-singer-to-signed-artist-securing-brand-deals” pipeline is the most radical part of TikTok’s impact on the music industry. Last summer, TikTok launched an artist partnerships team in the UK, dedicated to working with and nurturing budding talent – from singers, to producers and DJs – headed up by David Mogendorff, the former European Head of Artist Relationships at YouTube.
抖音对音乐界最深远的影响体现在令人震惊的“极速造星流水线”。去年夏天，活跃于油管的组织Artist Relationships的前欧洲主管David Mogendorff在英国牵头发起了艺术家合作互助小组，致力于和崭露头角的音乐人才（包括歌手、制作人、DJ等）合作，给他们提供更好的资源。
According to Mogendorff, when they notice a creator is doing numbers, the team reaches out, often with advice on how to best grow their accounts – like posting at specific times, how to caption their posts, making sure their other socials are linked up with TikTok – as well as helping them to form management teams.
Mogendorff说，当他们发现某一视频创作者的播放数据飙升时，小组将会主动与创作者取得联系，并给予他们有关账号运营的最佳建议，如在特定的时间发布作品，为作品起足够抓人眼球的标题，在其他平台同时转发抖音链接，以及成立管理团队等。
“It’s really about building a relationship with them. Our goal is to support them throughout their careers, whichever direction they go in,” says Mogendorff.
“实质上这是在与创作者们建立联系，我们的目标是帮助他们取得更好的职业发展，无论他们选择在哪个方向精进”，莫根多夫说。
Different prospects for different artists
不同艺术家，不同“抖音路”
For singers not attached to any viral trends – like Cat Burns, a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from south London who spent her time busking before downloading TikTok at the beginning of the pandemic – the rise has been slower, though still meteoric compared to the traditional route to stardom.
对于不谙抖音这种极速造星趋势的音乐人来说，成名的过程更加漫长，但依然比最传统的成名之路要迅速许多。比如Cat Burns, 20岁的她来自伦敦南部，是一位歌手和词曲作家。她在疫情流行之初下载了抖音，在此之前，她一直在街头卖艺。
After seven months on the app, Burns secured a deal with RCA Records – the same label that represents Zayn Malik and Little Mix. She believes that the basic foundations of TikTok – the algorithm, the ability to duet videos, or to save and repost them on other social platforms – helped hugely with their respective success.
在使用抖音7个月之后，Burns签约了RAC公司——歌手Zayn Malik和女团Little Mix都来自这个公司。她认为，抖音的算法、视频特效、保存和并在其他社交平台转发等基本功能，极大地帮助了独立音乐人成名。
Unlike artists who find fame outside of a solitary app, TikTok stars are now also doubling up as influencers. Among TikToks of Burns singing are sponsored posts, most recently one for Tinder, encouraging people to get verified on the dating app. Evans has also created sponsored content, including a sea shanty for the cosmetic brand Old Spice.
与不通过这么一个app来建立知名度的艺术家不同，抖音明星们的影响力正在与日剧增。在Burns的抖音账号上有一些品牌推广动态，最近的一个来自交友应用Tinder，出现在动态中的赞助信息鼓励人们注册成为这款约会软件的用户。Evans则为品牌创作了视频内容，比如为化妆品品牌Old Spice创作了一支航海民谣。
When it comes to established artists, Mogendorff says TikTok’s approach is just as hands on. While he says the company is not directly involved in making dance challenges – or, in fact, any trend – go viral, they do make sure that artists are aware that it’s happening, and work to ensure the momentum keeps up.
Mogendorff表示，对于已经功成名就的老牌艺术家，抖音依然密切关注他们的发展。他说，虽然抖音没有直接参与此前大热的“舞蹈挑战”或者说其他任何潮流的病毒式传播，但他们确保了艺术家能够意识到该潮流的走红，并努力将这种势头保持下去。
Despite being released two years ago, Yungblud’s “Parents” has been used over 60,000 times on TikTok in the past month alone. For established artists like Yungblud – real name Dominic Harrison – the app has provided an unexpected way to interact with fans, especially during a pandemic. In a TikTok video, Harrison announced a competition to fans, who could submit their own freestyle over a specially-released instrumental version of the song.
仅在过去一个月中，Yungblud两年前发布的歌曲《父母》就在抖音上被用了超6万次。特别是在疫情期间，抖音为像Yungblud（原名Dominic Harrison）这样的知名艺术家提供了一种意想不到的粉丝互动方式。在一段抖音视频中，Harrison向粉丝们宣布了一项比赛——他们可以对这首歌特别发布的器乐版进行自由创作并发布。
“It’s going mental – I think because people are frustrated and angry. They need outlets for it, so I dropped the instrumental on there so they can freestyle over it and get out what they need to,” says Harrison.
“大家都玩疯了——我想因为人们有时感到沮丧和愤怒，这不良情绪需要发泄，所以我就把器乐版放在了那里，这样他们就可以对此自由发挥、随性而为，从坏情绪中解脱出来。”Harrison说道。
Food for thought: Is the industry sustainable or not?
来自抖音的新秀们，究竟能火多久？
Ultimately, whether or not there’s longevity to this approach remains to be seen; will TikTok’s viral creators be able to make the same kind of jump as Justin Bieber, from YouTube hit to bonafide superstar, or suffer the same fate as so many X Factor winners, pumped up for stardom before petering out into obscurity?
这种方法是否能长久发挥效用还不确定。由抖音制造出的新秀们，会像贾斯丁·比伯一样直接从YouTube热门视频的主角变成真正的巨星，还是像X Factor里的胜者，只有昙花一现的命运？
Either way, it’s clear that TikTok has already made its mark on the music industry – and both its breakout stars and Mogendorff are hopeful that the app will prove a sustainable breeding ground for the musicians of the future.
不管怎样，抖音已经在音乐产业留下了自己的印记。Mogendorff和抖音中爆红的明星都希望抖音能为音乐人提供可持续发展的平台。
“It’s evolved so much in the last six months, so where are we going to be in a year, when people just keep pushing the medium and the format?” says Mogendorff. “We don’t know where we're going to be, but there will definitely be more Nathan Evans, Cat Burns and Sam Ryders. There’s a whole new generation to come.”
“过去半年情况变了许多，在人们持续推动媒介和平台发展的当下，抖音将何去何从？”Mogendorff说，“我们不知道抖音未来将会如何发展，但我们确信会出现更多像Nathan Evans, Cat Burns和Sam Ryders的当红音乐人和音乐新星，全新的一代将要来临。”
编译 | 蒋吉衣 毛彦文 胡梦涵 王慧琪
排版 | 王慧琪
