Discovery App GREATERTHAN Releases the Names of the 70 Music Artists Who Broke On TikTok in 2020

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May 7, 2021 - The world of A&R is rapidly changing; content creator platforms like TikTok have established themselves as artist discovery goldmines, and it’s up to the innovators to stay steps ahead. Last December, leading industry resource Music Business Worldwide released an article announcing that over 70 music artists that had broken on the TikTok platform had signed major label deals. Acutely aware of the fact that people would want to know who these artists are, GREATERTHAN CEO and Founder Paula Moore, who has held A&R research executive roles at all three major label groups, curated the full list of the TikTok 70 as the first exclusive drop from the A&R Innovation Lab by GREATERTHAN.

Included in the drop, each artist comes paired with a feature snapshot of the relevant details you need to know about them, including what label signed them, their available contact information, representation, any affiliations and when their song went viral on TikTok. This timely drop also reveals which label groups and their respective individual labels are leading the deal flow of artists that are exploding on the platform. No other company has compiled this information, and Moore knew how valuable the findings would be to feed both the industry’s curiosity as to who the TikTok 70 actually are and who signed them, but it also serves GREATERTHAN’s mission to be the global leader in research and discovery.

The breakdown of signings shakes out like this: Sony Music Entertainment is in the lead with 25 of the TikTok 70 artists signed, with Columbia snatching up 14, followed by RCA with six signings. Warner Music Group comes in second with 18 TikTok artists signed, 11 of which went to Warner Records. Universal Music Group comes in third with only 10 artists signed to its major labels, Republic nabbing five of the 10. What this proves is that this is a tight race, and having a competitive advantage is critical.

Upon learning about this drop, Grammy-winning producer Ché Pope (best known for producing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as well as co-executive producing Kanye’s Yeezus) immediately went to the app, read every feature, and requested a customized addition to the drop of the independent distributors for these artists prior to signing. Recently tapped to head indie distributor Distrokid’s “Upstream” A&R initiative, Pope’s interest was just one example of industry demand that pushed Moore and her women-led team to provide information to industry executives that cannot be found anywhere else.

Providing the highly sought after information has solidified Moore as both a pioneer and leader in her field. Being the only senior level female A&R research executive in the industry with her own IP and products in the market, she is dedicated to solving major industry gaps. With technology and industry advancements moving at lightning speed, Moore and the GREATERTHAN’s mobile-first platform provide a competitive advantage for the labels and partners that they work with.

“As Troy Carter mentioned in a recent interview on the Music Business Worldwide podcast, every other research team is getting their information from the same well. They are also getting all the pieces of data in disconnected chunks — the analytics, the social media reports, all of it,” says Moore. “Our goal is to innovate A&R Research with a holistic approach gathering different aspects of research that no one else is utilizing the way we are.

GREATERTHAN’s holistic and proprietary system combines results from its A&R Scout Training Program, where hand-selected lead scouts range from micro-influencers to influencers with more than 150,000 followers who hone their expertise across multiple platforms and services, with exclusive drops that are timely and on trend, and a curated group of services that meet Moore’s A&R Innovation standards along with her own research IP assets, into one, seamless system for our partners.

The global mobile app and flagship, GREATERTHAN, is a discovery hub delivered in culture magazine format. The app has already hit the top 100 music and market research startups-to-watch lists of 2021, and it features the best discoveries to know now.

GREATERTHAN is constantly testing new research technologies in order to include the best in their A&R Innovation Lab system. GREATERTHAN is the only company creating timely, relevant, and unique research for drops like The TikTok 70, which is the first of many in the pipeline from the only A&R Innovation Lab in the world. The only place to find these exclusive drops is in the app. Download it now, and start your free 30-day membership.