According to Forrest Browning, co-founder and chief product officer of Audius, approximately 95 percent of customers “have no idea that blockchain technology is even being utilised.”
Protocol for the distribution of music Audius was one of the first streaming platforms to partner with TikTok, allowing users to upload tunes directly to the popular video-sharing app without having to download them first.
Audius announced on Monday that it had teamed with TikTok to develop a new feature known as TikTok Sounds, which will be available in the coming weeks.
Forrest Browning, co-founder and chief product officer of Audius, stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that the connection will allow users to transfer music generated with the protocol to TiKTok with a single click, in an effort to speed the process.
Despite the fact that Audius claims it is attempting to use blockchain technology to reward content creators while also increasing transparency on payouts to artists, the integration with TikTok appears to be more about the music than it does about spreading messages about cryptocurrency or decentralised finance.
According to Browning, approximately 95 percent of Audius users “are completely unaware that blockchain technology is even involved.”
Despite having a monthly active user base approaching one billion, TikTok said in July that 75 percent of its users residing in the United States discover new artists through the app.
Following an October debut, Audius now has over 5 million monthly active users, with a large portion of its governance tokens being distributed to artists according to the number of streams they generate.
In the current state of affairs, TikTok does not permit users to obtain performance royalties from streaming music, but rather provides opportunities for visibility and engagement with fans.
The integration comes as a surprise given TikTok’s decision in July to prohibit the promotion of cryptocurrency-based products and services, as well as “the promotion of any and all financial services and products.”
A large number of people learnt about the meme-based cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE) through viral TikTok videos that circulated last year.
