Simon Cowell launches TikTok talent show for music producers
Image Credit: TikTok
Join in with StemDrop, the TikTok music challenge where you can get remix stems free and record your own track in collaboration with top songwriters and backing from Universal Music and Samsung.
King of talent shows Simon Cowell has noticed the hitmaking potential of TikTok. StemDrop is a new project that gives music makers on TikTok the chance to remix a brand new song and catch the eye of global music companies. The TikTok hashtag #StepDrop001 suggests this will be the first in a series of remix competitions organised by TikTok and Samsung.
What is StemDrop exactly? Songwriters Ali Payami, Max Martin, and Savan Kotecha have dropped 60 seconds of new single “Red Lights,” and TikTok users can use the stems to make their own remix. TikTok described the project as a “ground-breaking new evolution in global music collaboration.”
In music production, stems are different elements of a song, like a vocal part or piano track. Producers can also download the stems for “Red Lights” to use in their DAW of choice for remixing.
Samsung’s big contribution is a “StemDrop Mixer,” a filter which lets you build the track in real time, bringing some music production elements into the mix. Creators can start to use harmonies, effects and melodies to mess around with the song elements to make their contribution totally unique.
Get the stems from the StemDrop Mixer or Stem site. Its a fun way to get involved in the music community on TikTok, in a slightly more organised way than the usual organic chaos on the platform. You can submit as many vidoes as you like, before 12 December.
Given the pedigree involved the bones of the song by all rights should be a banger – Max Martin produced Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” Savan Kotecha wrote for Ariana Grande; Ali Payami has written for The Weeknd.
The theme of StemDrop is collaboration, and involves some big names in music alongside the songwriters including Republic Records, Universal Music, and Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.
Participants can follow new content daily on TikTok channel @StemDrop, with content from “global ambassadors” Arti Elkins, Astrid S and Your Boy Moyo.
Research has shown that when music on TikTok goes viral, streams on the likes of YouTube and Spotify are boosted, and in some cases label A&Rs come a’callin’. Hence the involvement of the major labels in StemDrop and Cowell’s interest in the platform as a talent pool. TikTok has been hyped as the best place to find new music, especially by Gen Z.
Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music at TikTok said: “We are thrilled to finally announce StemDrop to the world. Some of the biggest names in entertainment, music and technology are coming together to supercharge music discovery in a way never seen before, using the power of TikTok to unearth new talent.
“Every day, brilliant, undiscovered artists and songwriters turn to TikTok to share their music and find a global audience; StemDrop will put a spotlight on this talent and act as a springboard to help them build their careers.”
Find all the FAQs for making your StemDrop video here. You never know what could come from having a go at the challenge.