I keep noticing that a lot of songs get popular on TikTok before they show up in playlists or on the charts. Sometimes I end up adding tracks to my own mixes just because I heard them trending there first.
For anyone using TikTok alongside djay or other music apps, does it affect how you find music or what you play? Do you see it as a good way to discover new artists, or does it make music feel too focused on trends?
I do find music on TikTok sometimes. A good idea is to ask an AI (like ChatGPT or Grok) to look up the most popular songs on the platform. Then, it gives me personalized playlist suggestions, even for specific genres.
Yeah, that’s a good point. I haven’t tried using AI for playlist suggestions yet, but I can see how it could help filter through all the noise. TikTok pushes out so much music at once that it’s easy to miss stuff unless you’re following the right creators
Yeah, I’ve noticed that too — some tracks go viral for a week and then disappear, while others end up changing what’s trending across streaming platforms. What’s interesting to me is how the whole discovery process isn’t limited to just TikTok anymore. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of third-party music and DJ apps (some downloaded from third-party app stores) that let you pull trending TikTok audio directly into your mixes or playlists.
It kind of expands what you can do as a listener or DJ — you’re not just relying on Spotify or Apple Music anymore. But at the same time, it feels a bit like the Wild West. Some of those third-party platforms have great features but aren’t always stable or officially supported, so you have to be careful about what you install.
Still, I think that combination — TikTok trends + third-party apps — has made discovering and experimenting with new music way more dynamic than it used to be. It’s messy, but in a fun way.
Yeah, TikTok has definitely become one of the biggest music discovery tools right now. A lot of DJs and producers (myself included) find new tracks through viral snippets before they ever hit Spotify or Beatport charts.
What’s interesting is how TikTok shortens the discovery loop — you hear a 15-second sound, look it up, and it’s already got remixes or mashups on SoundCloud. For apps like djay, that’s a goldmine because you can experiment with trending sounds and mix them live before they become mainstream.
That said, I get your point about trends. It can make music feel temporary — like people move on as soon as the next viral hit drops. But I think if you use it intentionally, TikTok can be a great way to spot upcoming artists early and keep your sets fresh.
Welcome to the community @DJMusic. Thanks for sharing.
My Pleasure for this wonderful welcome
Ruining The Industry in MANY ways, but yet again it’s needed for other purposes for people in the music industry too - it’s a catch 22
