Viral and Vanished: How TikTok Is Making Music Disposable

By Ajay Benmoin

(Clockwise, from bottom left): SexxyRed, Paul Russell, FIFTY FIFTY, Flyana Boss, Kenya Grace Photo: WireImage, Kevin Kane/WireImage, Han Myung-Gu/WireImage, Kaitlyn Morris/Getty Images, Hannah Diamond Sourced from: grammy.com

There was a time when discovering a new artist felt like unlocking a secret.

You’d stumble on a mixtape, replay the same track a hundred times, or — if you grew up like me — sit in front of the family computer with a tape recorder and 20 YouTube tabs open.

The point is: the connection was real — and it lasted.

But lately, music discovery feels more like swiping on a dating app and less like finding your next canon event.

Don’t get me wrong — TikTok has changed the game. It’s made music more accessible than ever, launching careers in 15 seconds or less. But that’s kind of the problem. In the rush to go viral, artists are becoming fleeting thoughts — catchy clips instead of consistent creators.

One minute, a song is everywhere. It’s the soundtrack to a trend, a meme, a million dances. The next? It’s gone. And the artist behind it? Forgotten before their second single drops.

Remember this viral song from 2023?

The Future Kingz had the internet on lock with “3 Vets,” and they even dropped a full album of the same name on August 24, 2024. But since then? Crickets.

The algorithm sure isn’t plastering it all over my FYP — and unless you’ve been actively checking, you probably didn’t even know the album dropped.

Same with Sueco. “Paralyzed” had its viral moment in 2021, with over 131 million streams on Spotify. But when he followed up with a full album and multiple singles, most of TikTok had already moved on. The music didn’t stop — the attention did.

We’re not building discographies anymore — we’re building momentary hype.

It’s not even the artists’ fault. The algorithm demands quick wins. Labels want viral hooks. Everyone’s chasing that one hit that’ll blow up on For You pages.

But what happens after the hype fades? Are fans sticking around for full albums? For the stories behind the songs? For the artistry?

Most of the time… no.

That’s the part that bugs me. Music used to be about connection — finding someone who said the thing you couldn’t put into words. Now it’s about catchy one-liners engineered to hit in under 10 seconds.

Don’t get me wrong — I’ve found artists I love on TikTok. But I’ve also lost track of so many who never got a second chance to show what they’re capable of.

And as someone who lives for music that makes me feel something, that worries me.

Virality isn’t the same as impact. And fast doesn’t always mean lasting.

So what’s the solution? I don’t have all the answers. But I think it starts with listening deeper. Going beyond the soundbite. Supporting artists before and after their “moment.”

Here at Beyond the Bassline, that’s what we’re trying to do — give music space to breathe, and give artists a chance to be more than a trend.

Because music isn’t just content. It’s connection.

👇 Let’s hear it — who’s your favorite TikTok one-hit wonder?

Drop it in the comments and let’s give them the love they deserve.