TikTok users speed up songs, changing the music industry

Browse TikTok and similar apps, and you’ll notice users speed up songs to accompany short clips.

For example, a lady may play a sped-up version of BINI’s “Salamin Salamin” while showcasing her OOTD (outfit of the day).

It may seem innocuous, but it has a significant impact on how people interact with music.

For instance, people are becoming more accustomed to remixing their favorite songs, making music a more “active” experience than listening passively.

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One downside is that it pressures artists to release accelerated versions of their songs before others do.

Let’s delve further into the deeper influence of short-form videos on music lovers and musicians.

Speed up songs to go viral faster

The BBC reported that people on TikTok and other social media apps change the tempo of popular songs by 25% to 30% to accompany short viral videos. 

They usually time the chorus “hook” with their video’s ending or line up lyrics with each video section.

Surprisingly, this trend had been growing before TikTok entered the Internet.

In the early 2000s, Norwegian DJ duo “Nightcore” started speeding up a song’s pitch and speed. Nowadays, TikTok users keep the trend alive by adjusting their viral videos. 

It’s a powerful way to raise the chances that others notice your music. Some even owe their success to TikTok virality, such as Philippine-American singer Bella Poarch. 

Songwriting blog Two Story Melody reported her lip-sync video of “Sophie Aspin Send” became the most-liked video on TikTok. Later, this hit helped her boost her music career. 

Duke University reported that short-form videos help songs become popular, even in ways artists didn’t anticipate.

For example, netizens have sped up RAYE’s “Escapism” for their videos so many times that it hit No.1 on the 2023 UK charts.

That is why some artists have embraced the trend by making official accelerated versions of their tracks.

For example, Vietnamese singer Hoàng Thuỳ Linh released a “Speed Up Version” of her popular song, “See Tình.”

The BBC shared a statement from 23-year-old artist, “tonka._.b,“ who accepts “speed-up songs’ as a new way of creating music.

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“I like listening to my song, three times over – sped-up, slowed, and normal,” she says, “as each gives a totally different feel, each opening the door to new audiences.”

The BBC says this trend gave rise to the “sad banger,” a song with cheery instrumentals that hide somber lyrics. The faster tempo allows listeners to cope with such sobering realities.

Faster songs, shorter attention spans

Culture news outlet Inside Hook reports that musicians are changing how they write songs as people speed them up. 

Dr. Lucy Bennett, Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Culture lecturer, explains music production adapting to new formats is a historical trend.

For example, people in the 1800s had to listen to music live because there were no means of recording songs. Nowadays, you can listen to thousands of songs via Spotify.

This trend led artists to make their songs shorter and put catchy elements at the start. Consequently, listeners are less likely to skip their tracks. 

Dr. Bennett cited Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which only lasts a minute and 52 seconds. As a result, Duke University warns netizens might be shortening their attention spans further as they speed up songs. 

Healthcare agency Supportive Care ABA says the average human attention span in 2023 is 8.25 seconds. That is 4.25 seconds less than in 2000 and shorter than a goldfish’s!

As the public gets accustomed to brief and catchy songs, they may lose interest in longer songs with slower melodies. Also, artists are becoming more reliant on TikTok and similar apps to remain relevant. 

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Unfortunately, many artists don’t earn enough from increasing TikTok likes and views. Worse, some might be infringing on their copyrights as people remix their songs. 

Speed-altered songs may also deviate from an artist’s original voice and style. Yet, the popularity of their remixes may compel them to compromise their true vision to remain popular.