Photo Credit: TikTok
TikTok has announced a new feature called ‘Fan Spotlight,’ which allows artists to pin their favorite fan-created videos to their profile. The new feature is being showcased by UMG artist Billie Eilish as part of the media blitz for her new album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.
Fan Spotlight a new artist-first feature developed by TikTok to allow artists to showcase their favorite fan videos on their music tab. Artists can showcase up to five of their favorite fan videos at a time by pinning them to the top of their music tab. If a video is chosen as a ‘Fan Spotlight’ video, the creator will receive a notification. Videos will remain pinned to the artists’ profile for up to 7 days—after which the artist can choose new videos to feature.
This new feature was a key part of Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT TikTok takeover in celebration of her new album.
Fans can immerse themselves in the album through playlist curation, complete challenges to unlock exclusive artwork for their profiles, and win the opportunity to be featured in the album takeover themselves. The Billie Eilish hub offers fan-exclusive icons and animations. Billie Eilish joined TikTok in 2020 and amassed a following of more than 59.3 million, with 306 million likes across her content to date. More than 7.3 million videos have been created with the #billieeilish hashtag on the platform.
Her song “What Was I Made For?” featured in the Barbie soundtrack and saw 1.4 million creator videos using the track. Her song “Therefore I Am” was used as backing music for more than 1.5 million videos featuring dancing, makeup, and tricks.
After a three-month stand-off between Universal Music Group and TikTok, it appears the row over licensing fees is over. UMG signed a new licensing agreement with the social media platform earlier this month, with a press release describing the deal as including “improved remuneration” and “industry-leading protections” for AI.
The biggest turning point in the fight? UMG artist Taylor Swift striking her own deal with TikTok to feature her music during the release of The Tortured Poets Department—a move with reportedly stunned UMG execs.
