The man helping TikTok disrupt the music industry
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 27 June 2023
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
TikTok is a driving force in the music industry. How does the platform identify snippets of music and turn artists into the next generation of global music stars? That's the job of Ole Obermann, which makes him one of the most influential people in pop music today.
Transcript
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| 0:24.0 | This is OnPoint. I'm Magnita Crabardi. |
| 0:27.0 | Songs like Sunroof by Nikki Yor and Daisy or About Dam Time by Lizzo. |
| 0:32.0 | Whether they're songs from major names in music or up-and-coming talent, |
| 0:36.0 | the hitmaker behind them is TikTok. |
| 0:39.0 | The social media app claims that TikTok virality was behind 13 out of 14 number one records on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022. |
| 0:50.0 | Boosting New Talent used to be the realm of the A&R manager. |
| 0:55.0 | Now, the algorithm is king. |
| 0:57.0 | Ula Oberman runs the Music Business at TikTok. |
| 1:02.0 | He's global head of music business development at Bite Dance TikTok's parent company. |
| 1:07.0 | And of the many fascinating things about Oberman, there's this. |
| 1:12.0 | He was once a big name in the music business at a conventional record label. |
| 1:17.0 | Until he saw how TikTok was transforming, how music is made and marketed. |
| 1:23.0 | And he joins us today from London. |
| 1:26.0 | Ula Oberman, welcome to OnPoint. |
| 1:29.0 | Thank you for having me. Pleasure to be here. |
| 1:32.0 | So I'd love to first hear the story of your journey into the business of music, right? |
| 1:39.0 | Because you were at two, really, at least two major record labels before you moved to TikTok. |
... |
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