so I went to a Tiktok concert

Here’s some music to listen to as you read this:

So the other day I went to a TikTok concert in LA and it went no where near how I expected it to go. For some reason, I thought it would be this larger crowd performance for the low. Now, some of you may say I should’ve gathered it wouldn’t be big based on the ticket price on Posh: $16. To you I say go to hell (I didn’t know bruh).

I never want to shit on an artist, especially younger (actually that doesn’t even matter if they’re older or not). In no way am I saying I’m this performer ready artist at this moment in time or am I talking down on the youngins who I watched perform last night.

Out of respect for the artists & not wanting to be perceived as some bully, I won’t disclose the artists’ names. A few of the performers had a decent following (anywhere from 11k to 50k on social), but once the DJ began their set, you could feel & see their nervousness. Some did admit it was their first time performing, which made sense. It honestly made me realize how much of the crowd’s energy depended on the artist. You could tell instantly who could hold attention and who couldn’t but what surprised me most were the ones who’d performed before. I could feel that facade - the “fake it till you make it” essence and it made me wonder, how long do you keep faking it until you actually make it? (I’m praying this makes sense.)

Throughout the show though, I caught myself watching with this slightly make believe A&R lens, imagining I was scouting talent. Out of everyone, only one artist really stood out to me because they felt real. There was this originality and honesty about his nervousness that the story he was trying to convey (even bringing his own prop on stage) that made me lock in for a second.

Then of course the headliner came out near the end who we had all been waiting for. To me he’s your classic heart throb and fully is trying to embody and regularly uses those colorful swirly graphics that are from the early 2000s era to draw you in. Besides embodying young JB and one of the songs I knew him from

He makes a bit of hyper pop meets early 2000s music that most of us have come to be obsessed with since 2020 (ah yes the dark ages). Now remember, at this time I fully have my A&R/music exec hat on. Throughout the night, I continuously thought to myself if any of the 6 artists performing that night was an “ear pick”.

According to Donald S. Passman, author of All You Need to Know About the Music Business, a wildly recommended music business book on the industry - on the rare occasion, artists get signed because they are “ear picks” which means there’s minimal or no buzz, but someone at a label hears your music and falls in love with it.

With that in mind, without the ego of actually not being a music exec or the catalog to back it, I unfortunately don’t think anyone at the concert was an ear pick for me except for the one I mentioned earlier.

Besides definitely feeling like the oldest person in the room for the first time ever (I swear I genuinely saw someones mom walking around), it’s safe to say this will be my first & last TikTok artist concert 😅.

I’ll end by saying that as a minuscule artist myself, I know I have a lot to learn in & a lot of growing to do. It was just really cool to view the artists from a more exec role perspective & then put myself in their shoes as well as an artist.

Music I was listening to while I wrote this:

• 16 by hachigatsu_news

• We Dem Boyz - Louis Futon Remix

• obsessed with luxury by dedrite

• Windhorse by Of The Trees

• Test & Recognize by Seekae (HWLS Remix)