Here is this week's Nielsen Market Watch report which features Canadian music stats for the current week and YTD with comparisons to last year. This chart is published every Tuesday.
By External Source
Here is this week's Nielsen Market Watch report which features Canadian music stats for the current week and YTD with comparisons to last year. This chart is published every Tuesday. The abbreviation "TEA" is a term used to describe the sale of music downloads or singles. A track equivalent album is equal to 10 tracks, or 10 songs.
TikTok Logo
As the U.S. passes a bill that could lead to a ban on the app in the country, TikTok Canada is emphasizing its presence in Canada with a new chart tracking the top songs on the app.
TikTok may be facing an existential threat in the U.S., but in Canada, the app is growing its presence with a new chart.
The TikTok Top 50 chart will track the most popular songs on the app in Canada on a weekly basis, like its American counterpart, the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
The first edition of the chart is out now, and finds viral rapper Lay Bankz — who also recently made her Billboard Canadian Hot 100 debut — in the top spot with "Tell Ur Girlfriend," which got a boost on the app from a dance challenge.
The chart indicates just how unpredictable and eclectic TikTok popularity can be: the first Top 50 features '70s rockers Redbone, '80s shredders AC/DC, and '90s slackers Pavement, alongside contemporary popstars and indie darlings. The top ten features no Canadian artists, but "Oh Canada" — recorded by the Symphony Orchestra of Canada — sits at No. 25.
TikTok is already a major influence in the music industry, as artists — from teenagers hoping for their big break to Grammy-winning legacy acts — find new audiences through the app.
Rising stars like Benson Boone are making use of the app as creators, while older songs — like Mother Mother's "Hayloft" — are going viral as re-contextualized audio clips. Superstars, meanwhile, hope their new singles will take off as dance challenges, like the one that helped The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" become Billboard's No. 1 Song of All Time.
Plenty of up-and-coming Canadian acts have found success on the app, from Lauren Spencer Smith to Aqyila. The app has also boosted more established Canadian artists — the most popular song on TikTok in Canada last year was a sped up version of PARTYNEXTDOOR's 2014 song "Her Way."
The unpredictably of virality, of course, also makes it unreliable as a career strategy. Not to mention that going viral is just the beginning — artists still have to have the talent, team and know-how to turn a big moment into something sustainable.
The chart, which updates Thursdays, uses a combination of video views, creation and user engagement to determine its top 50. The announcement comes as the U.S. congress passes a bill aiming to force a sale of the app, resulting in a possible ban south of the border if no sale occurs.
