TikTok puts an orchestral twist to viral hits in first-ever music album

TikTok is partnering up with Warner Classics to put a classical twist to its viral hits. Warner Classics is the classical music arm of Warner Music Group. Together, the two will releasing its album titled “TikTok Classics - memes & viral hits” carrying 18 of the biggest TikTok viral hits. These hits will be re-recorded by the internationally renowned Babelsberg Film Orchestra of Germany and the full-length singles will be released on 8 July on all music streaming services, before the full album heads to streaming and retail stores in August. The campaign is under the hashtag #TikTokClassics, and aims to showcase the cultural diversity of the platform, said the company in a press statement. 

"TikTok is the creative home of all genres of music. With TikTok Classics, we showcase the musical diversity and a new interpretation of this creativity that can be enjoyed by all our community,” said Michael Kümmerle, head of music Operations, Germany, Austria & Switzerland at TikTok. Kümmerle added that the company wanted to emphasise the diversity it has on its platform and offer entertainment to users, whatever their taste in music. “Through the new interpretation of TikTok Classics, we hope to bring this genre to new fans in a way that they wouldn't expect. This exciting collaboration with Warner Classics and the Babelsberg Film Orchestra is bringing this vision to life" he added.

 Markus Petersen - SVP global operations and business development, Warner Classics added that TikTok's evolution has been “breath-taking”, especially in terms of the growth in older audiences.

“TikTok has proven to be a platform for music discovery - and TikTok-users are increasingly discovering classical music as well. With its commitment to cultural content including genres such as classical music TikTok has become an important partner for Warner Classics at lightning speed. […] We want to showcase the possibilities, range and epic sound of a symphonic orchestra in a new context, encourage closer listening and share our passion for orchestral sound with the TikTok community" he added.

Earlier this year, TikTok was reportedly testing support for paid subscriptions, allowing users to charge subscriptions for their content. The news came after Instagram's Subscriptions feature made headlines. The company had declined to share how the paid subscription model will operate in the app and declined to elaborate on the features. 

Other than TikTok, Mastercard had recently rolled out its inaugural music album titled "Priceless" featuring 10 songs by 10 different artists from around the world. Each song in the album incorporates the melody of Mastercard's brand sound. The brand had teamed up with music creator platform Beatclub to enhance its commitment to music fans and emerging talent.

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