TikTok creators globally are being provided with music stems and invited to produce their own versions of a new song written by hitmakers Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami.
StemDrop launches in collaboration with the songwriters, as well as Simon Cowell, Syco Entertainment and executive Tim Van Rongen.
They have partnered with Universal Music Group and its Republic Records label to create StemDrop, an initiative for musical collaboration, curation and artist discovery to be launched exclusively with TikTok and Samsung.
StemDrop will act as an incubator for new talent, artistry and creativity by giving the opportunity for all artists and music creators to collaborate with top songwriting talent.
Powered by Samsung Galaxy, there will also be a first-of-its-kind StemDrop Mixer on TikTok where creators of all levels can experiment with individual effects, harmonies and melodies to create and upload their own unique version of the song.
It officially launches on October 26 on TikTok, with creative direction from Syco Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s Republic Records.
Max Martin has produced dozens of hits, including Britney Spears’ ...Baby One More Time, Backstreet Boys’ I Want It That Way, Céline Dion’s That’s The Way It Is, Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off and The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights. Martin is joined by Savan Kotecha (One Direction, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, The Weeknd) and Ali Payami (Taylor Swift, The Weeknd) for their single for the first StemDrop.
As soon as the 60-second song clip drops, the community will be able to access the stems (drums, bass guitar, vocal parts etc) through the StemDrop H5 page and can create, record and share their own unique versions.
As part of the partnership between Samsung & TikTok, announced in September at IFA conference in Berlin, the tech giant will be facilitating the program through product innovations.
The StemDrop Profile will also provide TikTok users, and creators a window into the StemDrop process, as new versions of the track from around the world are curated weekly by each of the individual songwriting teams as well as TikTok, Syco, Republic Records and UMG. TikTok music curator Ari Elkins, singer-songwriter Astrid S and Your Boy Moyo will act as global ambassadors for StemDrop and host daily content on the @StemDrop channel on TikTok.
There are so many incredibly talented people who are trying to stand out, and I hope and believe this could make a big difference to their careers
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell said: “Hit songs are like diamonds and they can change an artist’s career overnight. With tens of thousands of songs uploaded every day, this idea will give aspiring artists the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most successful songwriters in the world. The premise was always very straightforward… What would happen if the best songwriters in the world wrote a song for the world? We have no idea what’s going to happen. I do know there are so many incredibly talented people who are trying to stand out, and I hope and believe this could make a big difference to their careers.
“It says everything about Max Martin, Savan and Ali that they have decided to give this song to the TikTok community to record and collaborate with them. And I want to thank them so much for believing in this idea. In addition, I want to thank TikTok, Samsung and Universal for their support and enthusiasm. Again, their passionate support of talented people is amazing.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group, said: “UMG exists at the intersection of innovation and talent discovery, so we’re excited to partner with Simon and the incredible team he’s assembled to launch this new platform, harnessing the scale of Tik Tok, to leverage the artistry of creators worldwide.”
StemDrop co-creator Tim Van Rongen said: “I’m thrilled to be part of the next step in talent discovery. I feel it’s the exact right moment to launch a music project where the creative process is fully in the hands of the creators on TikTok. I can’t wait to see what everyone will come up with and think that the world will be surprised by the enormous creative variety that StemDrop and the TikTok community will deliver.”
Ole Obermann, global head of music at TikTok, said: "We are thrilled to finally announce StemDrop to the world. Some of the biggest names in entertainment, music and technology are coming together to supercharge music discovery in a way never seen before, using the power of TikTok to unearth new talent. Every day, brilliant, undiscovered artists and songwriters turn to TikTok to share their music and find a global audience; StemDrop will put a spotlight on this talent and act as a springboard to help them build their careers.”
Paul Hourican, global head of music operations at TikTok, said: "TikTok's mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, and with StemDrop our aim is to provide our creative community, wherever they are, an opportunity to collaborate and create with the world's most iconic songwriters and their work in a new and original way. The breadth and diversity of musical talent emerging on TikTok every day is breathtaking and we're committed to opening doors for artists and propelling new talent to find sustained success both on and off the platform. We can't wait to see what this collaboration brings so thank you to Max, Savan, Ali, Simon and the teams at Syco, UMG and Republic who have helped bring this to life."
Monte Lipman, founder and CEO, Republic Records, said: “StemDrop provides an unprecedented opportunity, capturing the spirit of experimentation and remains the cornerstone of the music community’s creative process. We embrace and celebrate the innovation of these extraordinary individuals as they sail into uncharted waters.”
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