To TikTok or not to TikTok? How Sask. musicians are using the platform

With a billion users, TikTok has rapidly become one of the most important social media players in the game. It may not suit every musician who is trying to promote their music, but for some it can be a passion. 

SaskMusic said it encourages musicians in the province to use social media platforms, and TikTok has become a much-talked-about tool.

"Our word of advice for artists is if they're comfortable going on TikTok, and that's something that feels authentic to them and that they can keep up on a consistent basis as well, it's definitely worth pursuing," said Lorena Kelly, interim executive director of SaskMusic.

"There's lots of discovery options for fans through TikTok, and as you know that can lead to other things like higher streams and concert attendance and just a bigger fan base in general."

However, she said artists should not expect to make money off the social media platform. 

"Obviously when you're talking about music usages, often it's in like 15-second or 32-second little clips. So accordingly, the royalties are really, really low," Kelly said. 

Still, she said SaskMusic has seen some local artists have "amazing success" on TikTok. 

One such artist is pop and R&B musician Brian Mendoza of Regina. The 22-year-old has more than 400,000 followers on his TikTok account.

Mendoza livestreams his performance on the online service Twitch and then posts the content as videos on YouTube. That's where he makes money.

Then, he cuts short clips from the YouTube videos and uploads them to TikTok. Some of these videos have gone viral. Now Mendoza views the platform as an integral part of promoting his music and generating a strong fanbase. 

"It helps them get to know me a little bit and then say, 'Oh, it's such a short clip. I want to see more of this person. I want to see more.' And so they go and stumble upon my other social media," said Mendoza.

TikTok viewers landing on his YouTube and Spotify accounts means more revenue for Mendoza.

"I want to blow up in the music industry. So [TikTok] is kind of a way for me to just keep sharing that," said Mendoza. 

Kelly said the SaskMusic team warns musicians that with the good side of TikTok also comes the bad.