TikTok has become the leading platform for music discovery and to push creative boundaries in the industry. Yet, many artists and industry professionals overlook it, dismissing it as trivial. Showing the power of music on TikTok to an audience when they're not on the platform is a tough task. To give them a taste, we did something they couldn't miss, by bringing the TikTok experience off the platform. In 2023, TikTok launched its first-ever, in-real-life music experience. In The Mix became a product demo in the form of a brand experience, and the most successful one to date.

TikTok is used daily by 170M people and has quickly become the world's most powerful platform for music discovery - driving music culture, music discovery, and charting songs. In 2023, 13 of the 18 songs to top the US's Billboard Hot 100 can be tied to viral trends on TikTok. Last year, TikTok also launched an official chart in partnership with Billboard - further cementing the inextricable link between TikTok trends and the charts. To core users, the music discovery and music marketing power of TikTok is undeniable. However, the general population, artists and music executives may not always draw the connection between the songs they hear topping the charts and their TikTok origin. Further, they may not always go to TikTok first as their key destination for music discovery yet. This event aimed to squarely stake TikTok's claim on the music ecosystem by bringing the experience of scrolling through TikTok and discovering music to life and throwing a once-in-a-lifetime concert in an unexpected way.

To continue strengthening our presence in the music industry as our platform matures, we aim to have presence at major cultural moments and music tentpole events to help drive association and own the narrative around music as a cultural export. However, TikTok wanted to take that a step even further. Beyond just association, we aimed to create our own cultural capital and ownable IP that can become synonymous with music.

In keeping with the magic and "surprise and delight" of the TikTok experience, we wanted to host this in an unexpected venue, in an unexpected location, and in a way that only TikTok could do.

We implemented a 3-tiered approach for designing a music experience aimed at extensive outreach and engagement. Our primary audience included local TikTok users in the Arizona and Southwest region, alongside music industry and press guests, with a broader global audience targeted through a TikTok livestream. To expand our reach further, we partnered with Disney+ and Hulu to offer the show as an on-demand special globally. The lineup featured A-List celebrities recognized on TikTok, like Anitta and her viral hit "Envolver" to Charlie Puth and his live song creation videos. We also showcased emerging artists from our TikTok Elevate program, highlighting music that has trended on the platform. The event creatively integrated TikTok by featuring popular creators, trends, and interactive elements such as live musical duets, creator stunts, custom filters, and food trucks from viral TikTok personalities, enhancing the overall music experience.

To showcase the power of music on TikTok to people who aren't on the platform, we created a brand experience off the platform. The first-ever, in-person live music experience from TikTok.

This wasn't just a regular concert, it raised a new bar for what could be expected from TikTok. We brought what's unique about the platform and mixed it with a live concert. From uniting artists on stage with artists playing from their bedrooms via live duets, to having phone cameras surrounding the stage for unique angles and interactions with artists, to a LIVE stream that brought in over 30 million people to watch and interact with the event, to food trucks serving recipes that are trending on TikTok. Everything was curated to be a TikTok experience outside of the app.

We collaborated with Emmy-winning director Hamish Hamilton to revolutionize a 360 stage concept tailored for smartphone viewing, creating a unique TikTok experience. Headliners crafted special sets with vertical screen choreography and exclusive TikTok moments, such as Charlie Puth's surprise duet and artist-specific entries embodying themes from Brazilian carnival to a boxing ring walkout. The event, over 6 hours long, seamlessly integrated performances, stunts, and interviews by popular TikTok creators, maintaining audience engagement throughout. Planning spanned 12 months, including venue scouting, talent securing, and a comprehensive promotional campaign, culminating in a significant event in Arizona, attracting thousands. This intricate production process showcased our commitment to innovative, mobile-first entertainment, reflecting the dynamic intersection of technology, music, and social media.

• Sold out with over 17,000 in-person attendees

• Most watched LIVE event on TikTok: 33.6 million unique viewers, doubling the previous record

• +700,000 new TikTok app downloads from the show

• Biggest positive press moment for TikTok in 2023: +4,000 press hits, 100% positive/neutral sentiment

• +50 million organic impressions on TikTok's owned social channels

• Headliners saw:

- Average increase of 54.7 million views on TikTok videos

- Average increase of 261,000 followers on TikTok

- Average increase in engagement of 3.3 million (Likes/Shares/Comments)

• Peso Pluma & Anitta's "Bellakeo" led to +1.3 million song creations; charted #54 on Billboard Hot 100

• Cardi B's "Bongos" and new trends for Niall Horan's and Charlie Puth's songs saw increased streams and engagement

• 1,800+ Managed Creators produced 170+ pieces of content, resulting in 25.8 million views