From Bedroom Soundtrack to Success

This thesis investigates the creative ways in which upcoming music artists utilize TikTok to effectively promote their music. In the modern age of digitalization, it is intriguing to look at how social media platforms such as TikTok influenced the music business, and what this means for upcoming artists who want to become successful in the music industry. This research leverages the AIDA model for marketing communication and the parasocial interaction theory as its theoretical basis. The study explores the ways in which three selected artists create attention, interest, desire, and prompt action among TikTok users while fostering perceived personal connections through parasocial interactions. Therefore, the research question of this thesis is: What strategies do artists employ on TikTok to promote their music? Through the use of qualitative content analysis, this thesis analyzed TikTok content of the three selected artists Renao, Jaydon Lewis, and FRVRFRIDAY through the lens of the AIDA model and the parasocial interaction theory. In total, 75 TikTok posts were analyzed, looking into 25 posts per artist. The analysis, with the aid of a coding table, showed that the artists share similarities in the ways in which they promote their music, while also showing signature promotional strategies per artist. The analysis showed that capturing attention is the most important aspect among the three artists, relying on eye-catching visuals and intriguing captions mainly. Creating interest and desire were also shown to be important aspects, however, the analysis also showed that the artists barely focus on the aspect of prompting action. Furthermore, creating a parasocial relationship with an audience was also shown to be a key component. The intricacies of the promotional strategies of the artists were discussed together with providing further advice for upcoming artists on which aspects can be improved. The implications of these findings can be significant for both academic research and practical application. This study contributes to the literature on social media marketing in relation to the music industry which is understudied. For upcoming artists, or music industry workers, this study offers intriguing insights into the promotional strategies that upcoming artists utilize on TikTok in order to gain a bigger following and success. By highlighting useful promotional strategies, this study can serve as a roadmap for upcoming artists, highlighting which strategies are advantageous and which strategies need to be improved based on the three selected artists in order to build a fanbase through TikTok.