Electronic music videos have surpassed indie on TikTok for the first time, with the electronic music industry bringing in over $12billion last year.
Posts on the social media app that are tagged with #ElectronicMusic grew by 45 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, which itself had seen a 100 per cent increase from 2022.
That represents a faster growth than that enjoyed by indie or rap music, as reported by The Guardian. Techno and house rank among the most popular subgenres within the tag, with TikTok pointing to the breakout success of artists such as Joel Corry and Disclosure.
The platform’s head of partnerships for the UK and Ireland, Toyin Mustapha, has said: “TikTok users tend to tag the genres of music, especially genres like electronic music. It shows the community they are trying to build and are part of, and electronic music is very much a community-led thing.”
TikTok logo. CREDIT: Getty/Jaque Silva/SOPA Images/LightRocket
“Dance music has become more accessible and big in the commercial sphere,” Mustapha added. “We are seeing the breaking down of boundaries for artists, and TikTok is part of that. It’s not just reflected in festival bookings, you can see it in the official charts as well.”
The news comes as it emerged that the global electronic music industry generated $12.9billion over the last 12 months, a growth of 6 per cent, according to the International Music Summit’s Business Report for 2025. Read that report here.
It found that the industry grew in value from $12.5billion in 2023, and it attributes the increase to festivals and nightclub admissions. It notes that in 2024 the live music industry rose to “more than double” that of its pre-COVID levels, with the likes of Live Nation and Eventim producing an income of approximately $27billion. It adds that the growth is likely due to soaring ticket prices rather than an increase in the number of tickets sold.
It went on to report that the revenue generated by recorded music slowed to a six per cent growth in 2024, compared to 10 per cent the year before. Streaming revenues also increased six per cent – less than the 16 per cent growth in 2023 – with 818million new customers emerging in 2024, largely from the Global South.
The report also notes that electronic artists make up 18 per cent of the line-ups of the world’s top 100 festivals.
As for TikTok, President Trump announced earlier this month that he will allow the company an extra 75 days to comply with US demands or face a complete ban in the country.
English (US) · 