TikTok and the EDM festival Tomorrowland have partnered to bring fans behind-the-scenes content and live streams of headline performances.
The constantly-discussed social platform will provide live broadcasts of headlining performances, plus behind-the-scenes and video on-demand content from artists and creators.
The EDM genre has been booming across streaming and live events in the last year. TikTok will host 24 livestreams with artists, DJs and producers like Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Lost Frequencies, Timmy Trumpet, Afrojack and Armin van Buuren.
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, main stage headliners at this year’s Tomorrowland, said: “Excited to see what amazing content we can share with the world this summer. TikTok has opened the doors to a new world with such a high hunger for content consumption that hasn’t been seen since our early Tomorrowland aftermovies. These travelled to all corners of the world back in the day, in an era before traditional social media started limiting the reach of creators, and we can’t wait to show a whole new generation what Tomorrowland is all about.”
This partnership is a great way for fans to get closer to their favorite artists and learn more about the dance music scene. It is also a way for TikTok to continue to grow its reach as a platform for live music, which has been a focus for the platform in 2023.
In addition to in-app playlists, a search hub and activations, TikTok will also create a global hub for #Tomorrowland fans to enjoy all the content, artist LIVEs and music from the festival. The #Tomorrowland hashtag is already incredibly popular on TikTok, with over 2.8 billion views. Creators use the hashtag to showcase their favorite festival content and performances.
It makes sense for the festival to partner with TikTok as it was described by the IMS Business Report 2023, which was released in April, as “the central place for fan engagement.” In fact, anyone who knows anything about the platform knows it is the best place right now to engage with fans and niche communities.
Many emerging artists have seen their songs go viral on TikTok, which prompted their popularity elsewhere. For newer (and legacy) artists, TikTok is now a key component of track release plans and many artists have even spoken up about their labels pushing them to get on the platform and post to push engagement.
Tomorrowland is a large-scale annual electronic dance music festival held at Provinciaal Recreatiedomein De Schorre in Boom, Flanders, Belgium. It was first held in 2005, and has since become one of the most famous music festivals in the world. It has won numerous accolades and awards, including being voted five times in a row as “best musical event of the year” at the International Dance Music Awards.
The 17th year of the festival will occur over two weekends—July 21-23 and July 28-30—and likely attract over 400,000 visitors from all over the world. The lineup features more than 750 artists, including some of the biggest names in electronic dance music, and the festival is known for its elaborate stage designs and production values.
Michael Kümmerle, Business Development Lead, Global Music Content & Partnerships at TikTok, spoke about the partnership: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Tomorrowland, one of the biggest and most iconic festivals in the world. With its legendary line-up and truly global audience, Tomorrowland is the perfect festival partner for our flourishing community of #ElectronicMusic lovers who congregate on TikTok. As our relationship with the genre deepens, we’re incredibly excited to help grow the festival even further by giving our community 24 livestreams and a truly 360 degree experience of Tomorrowland on TikTok.“
#ElectronicMusic, TikTok’s latest genre campaign, was announced last year. With over 6.9 billion views, it has become the central place for music fans on TikTok to celebrate the content, culture, artists and music across the EDM genre.
The hashtag has been used by a diverse range of artists, from established names like deadmau5 and Tiësto to more up-and-coming stars like Rezz and Shygirl. It has also been used to share everything from festival footage to DJ mixes to tutorials on how to make electronic music.
The #ElectronicMusic campaign has helped to make TikTok a more inclusive space for electronic music fans. It has also helped to introduce new audiences to the genre. As a result, the hashtag has played a significant role in the growth of electronic music in recent years.