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When Slipknot first contacted Cedar Ridge Distillery, which is located 120 miles from the band’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, management was not interested in an alternative metal whiskey brand inspired by scary clowns. Until one of the owners forwarded the Slipknot email to employees. “Oh, my God, Slipknot — are you kidding me?” came the overwhelming response. “We have to do this.”
The result, Slipknot No. 9 Reserve Whiskey, which debuted in 2019, represents the shattering of a “glass ceiling” in the heavy metal business, according to Cory Brennan, Slipknot’s manager. Metal-branded products were once taboo; today, they’re no-brainers. “For so long, the gatekeepers were scared of anything aggressive and scared of metal and scared of their audiences. Over the past 15 years, that’s really changed,” Brennan says. “More and more people are open to the genre. They’re kids, adults. Some are grandparents at this point. And they’re loyal. They’re not going away.”
Artists from all genres rely financially on fan bases who buy product. Metal audiences tend to be loyal for years, even decades — and that loyalty translates into revenue for long-running legacy acts. Iron Maiden built a worldwide branded-apparel business out of its logo and skeletal Eddie the Head mascot.
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“Pop comes and goes. Metal stays consistent,” says Barry Drinkwater, executive chairman of Global Merchandising Services, which works with Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses and others.
The revenue proportions in the metal world are different from those of pop or hip-hop. Marketing and selling albums remain important for the bands’ labels. Brian Slagel, owner and chairman/CEO of Metal Blade Records, home of Mercyful Fate, Sacred Reich and many others, says the 42-year-old indie label makes 25% to 30% of its revenue from vinyl album and CD sales, and the rest from streaming, although only the genre’s biggest stars are racking up substantial royalties, such as Metallica and Black Sabbath, which have both crossed the 1 billion stream threshold.
Most metal acts, however, rely on touring and merch. “Merchandise on the road is probably the No. 1 source of our income,” says Keith Wampler, frontman for The Convalescence, a symphonic horror death metal band from Toledo, Ohio.
Drinkwater adds, “Eighty percent of it is a black T-shirt.” Metal merch sales boomed during the coronavirus pandemic, when fans stuck at home turned to online shopping. In July 2020, August Burns Red guitarist Brent Rambler found himself shipping hundreds of packages from the basement of his house to fans who were spending money on merch instead of live shows. “A lot of tape and scissors,” he recalls. The group soon hired a fulfillment company to help with the orders and built a thriving online store. “It has fully replaced the income almost of doing a full tour,” Rambler adds. “We say it’s the silver lining of the pandemic.”
The strength of merch sales has since helped bands weather the post-pandemic inflation that has hiked up the prices of buses, crew, hotels and gas and cut into the profit margins of groups with smaller fan bases.
Meanwhile, the genre’s marquee acts are thriving. Metallica sold 1.2 million tickets last year, grossing $125.8 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. And Cannibal Corpse drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz says, “We’re doing the best we’ve ever done. A lot of bands talk about the tough time touring and the costs and all that, but we don’t see any of that.”
New headliners are also emerging, says Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, who bought the rights to the dormant Milwaukee Metal Festival and rebooted it in 2023. Knocked Loose, Lorna Shore and Slaughter To Prevail are among the bands that have drawn massive live crowds despite repertoires with “almost no melody,” Jasta says. “We had [all three] headlining on a Sunday. It was the biggest day and outdrew [more established bands] Lamb of God and Machine Head.”
And while metal acts have yet to master TikTok the way pop star influencers have, their fans’ social media posts often heighten their visibility and drive discovery. Slagel calls TikTok “vitally important,” and says metal bands that distance themselves from the app wind up dominating it anyway. “I went to see Cattle Decapitation and Immolation in Dallas. Both bands were telling me there were a lot of younger fans there that they haven’t really seen [before]. I said, ‘Well, it’s TikTok.’ And they said, ‘We’re not on TikTok!’ ” he recalls. “But your fans are on there,” he told them, “and they’re hashtagging Cattle Decapitation and posting videos.”
The key to long-term success, say veteran metal stars, is to keep touring and recording, as well as taking control of their masters. Testament, founded in 1983, made a deal with indie Megaforce Records in the mid-’90s to license its recordings rather than sign over the rights, and is awaiting the reversion of its earlier Atlantic Records masters after 35 years, according to U.S. copyright law. “The label’s like, ‘Have you ever looked at your numbers?’ We have close to 3 million listeners a month on Spotify,” frontman Chuck Billy says. “I was like, ‘Holy smokes!’ All the publishing rights, everything goes to us. We rode the storm out and stayed together. We’re still out there touring pushing the music — now we own it.”
The multigenerational consumer demand for metal and the avid loyalty of its fans may lead to multi-million-dollar catalog sales. Now that Mötley Crüe and KISS have sold their publishing catalogs for hundreds of millions of dollars, heavier bands are optimistic. Publishing companies have been “knocking on our door,” Billy says.
“I hear Judas Priest and Van Halen on car commercials, I hear bands that we grew up with on commercials,” he adds. “Ten or 15 years from now, it might be Testament.”
News that Bytedance will shut down its 18-month old TikTok Music on-demand music streaming service might have come as a surprise to some people. After all, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users globally and singlehandedly redefined music discovery by turning generation of smartphone users onto music-based, short-form videos.
But TikTok Music’s demise was entirely predictable. Building a sustainable on-demand music streaming service is incredibly challenging. The digital music graveyard is littered with streaming products that didn’t last — remember Rdio, Boinc, Guvera, Turntable.fm or SpiralFrog? Not even a well-funded platform from a corporate giant is guaranteed of success. Sony’s Music Unlimited didn’t last. Nor did Microsoft’s Zune. Xiami, founded by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, shut down in 2021 after 12 years.
Bytedance’s uphill road was made more difficult when it took on a different role with TikTok Music. TikTok was an insurgent that built itself without the typical constraints facing typical streaming services. The app created a new use case for music in the same way the download succeeded the CD and streaming succeeded the download. TikTok Music, on the other hand, was constrained by the licensing terms that govern on-demand services.
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As a result of those rules, Bytedance built something more like Spotify than TikTok because it didn’t have any other choice, says MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan. “TikTok Music had massive potential to be these so many things that didn’t look anything like any other [digital service provider],” he says. “But they still ended up having to make something that looked pretty much like any other streaming service.”
That TikTok Music resembled every other music streaming service was a problem, Mulligan argues, not a solution for a new market entrant. On-demand music has become a well-functioning utility like water service, he explains, but one that doesn’t build communities, drive fandom or create conversion — things TikTok does well and TikTok Music couldn’t. “We all really value the water that comes out of our taps, but we rarely go down to the local bar and talk to our friends about how great the water is that comes from taps,” says Mulligan.
These aren’t just any utility companies TikTok Music has been competing against. Market leader Spotify, with its $76 billion market capitalization, is far smaller than the next three companies, Apple, Google and Amazon. These four companies, and even smaller ones like them, have spent years pouring resources into building products and features that keep people listening to music, podcasts and, in the case of Spotify, audiobooks.
TikTok is great at creating engagement, too, but getting people to listen to full songs is different than feeding them a never-ending series of 15-second video clips, says Vickie Nauman, founder of CrossBorderWorks, a music tech and consulting and advisory firm. “You can’t necessarily translate that to something else.”
Things might be different if TikTok Music could differentiate itself on catalog by offering music not available on other music platforms. That’s how it works with on-demand video streaming. But global music services have, more or less, the same catalogs. Offering the world’s music has long been part of the music subscription service’s value proposition. So, music streaming services instead compete against one another on their user experiences.
On-demand services “had to make [the user experience] so elegant, so intuitive, and really, really customize it to consumers,” Nauman explains. In her experience, people underestimate the difficulty of creating a great product and executing the technology that underpins it. “It’s incredibly challenging,” she says. “Not only the user experience,” she continues, but the technology required to manage many tens of millions of tracks. “I think a lot of companies just really misperceive it.”
Changing consumer habits was always going to be a problem, too. It would be presumptuous to think anybody with a TikTok app would become a TikTok Music subscriber. Not every iPhone owner subscribes to Apple Music even though Apple offers a free trial to new iPhone owners and bundles the music service into a money-saving package, Apple One. Even though Alphabet owns both the Android operating system and YouTube, not every Android Phone owner subscribes to YouTube Music.
“To some extent, I’m not surprised” by TikTok Music’s failure, says MusicWatch principal Russ Crupnick. When MusicWatch surveyed American TikTok users about their interest in a standalone TikTok streaming service, the reaction was “surprisingly low” and “very lukewarm,” he says. (TikTok Music never launched in the U.S.) “Getting most people to switch [subscription services] at this point is a bit of a challenge. You’re more likely to get people to use multiple services.”
In the U.S., self-pay subscribers — not including free trials — have an overage of 2.3 music subscription services, according to MusicWatch. That includes Amazon Prime, which online shoppers buy mainly for free shipping, as well as satellite radio service SiriusXM. Asking people paying for multiple services to pay for one more music subscription plan is a tall order for a newcomer like TikTok Music. What’s more, MusicWatch found that Spotify ranks behind only Amazon Prime in terms of subscriber passion. When the economy gets rough, Spotify users are relatively unlikely to cancel their plans.
Zoom out and the demise of TikTok Music reveals something else about the music streaming market. In 2024, the number of global platforms may have reached a steady state and new entrants are unlikely to appear (and, like TikTok Music, any attempts will be unsuccessful). Experts who spoke with Billboard don’t foresee there being another company with both the funding and the stomach to take on the demands of licensing and administering rights for a huge amount of music.
“We’re at a fork in the road where all of these broad catalog licenses are kind of exhausted,” says Nauman. Gaming companies have the money but don’t need to license entire catalogs, she adds. Fitness companies that had licensed large catalogs now “want simpler solutions.”
If new entrants are going to find success, says Mulligan, it could be in “regional hubs” in which streaming services can license a smaller amount of local music and focus on markets where Western repertoire is less important. In China, for example, a market dominated by local music licensed by local rights owners, Tencent Music Entertainment has 117 million subscribers and Cloud Music had 44.1 million at the end of 2023 (the last figure the company made available). But regional services are being threatened by the bigger global companies. In some populous markets such as India and the Philippines, dominant Western companies have pushed aside local players.
In the end, Bytedance doesn’t need TikTok Music to be an influential force in music. Mulligan thinks it’s possible that the “majority” of music activity — not revenue — will happen on TikTok within three to five years. Younger people want to create, not just consume, he says, and TikTok could become a self-contained ecosystem that captures more of its users’ time — at the expense of the kind of on-demand streaming business that Bytedance is now abandoning.
TikTok plans to end its subscription streaming service, TikTok Music, the company announced on Tuesday (Sept. 24). TikTok Music, which is currently available in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore and Mexico, will wind down on Nov. 28.
The company will pivot to focus its efforts on the “Add to Music App,” which launched last November and allows users to save a track they discover on TikTok to their preferred streaming service with a few clicks.
“Our Add to Music App feature has already enabled hundreds of millions of track saves to playlists on partner music streaming services,” Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, said in a statement. “We will be closing TikTok Music at the end of November in order to focus on our goal of furthering TikTok’s role in driving even greater music listening and value on music streaming services, for the benefit of artists, songwriters and the industry.”
To the extent that the “Add to Music App” sends more TikTok users to streaming services to listen to songs they found first via short-form video, the music business views this as a win. The industry believes TikTok doesn’t pay enough when music is consumed on the platform, leading to a headline-grabbing stand-off with Universal Music Group earlier this year. Music rights holders are happier, however, with the rates at Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
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TikTok launched TikTok Music — Obermann described it as “a new kind of service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a best-in-class streaming service” — in Indonesia and Brazil in July 2023. It expanded to Australia, Singapore, and Mexico in October of that year.
“TikTok Music will make it easy for people to save, download and share their favorite viral tracks from TikTok,” Obermann said in a statement at the time. “We are excited about the opportunities TikTok Music presents for both music fans and artists, and the great potential it has for driving significant value to the music industry.”
The company rolled out the “Add to Music App” soon after, making it available to U.S. and U.K. users in November. The language Obermann used to describe this new feature wasn’t all that different from the way he talked about TikTok Music.
The “Add to Music App” represents “a direct link between discovery on TikTok and consumption on a music streaming service,” Obermann said, “making it easier than ever for music fans to enjoy the full length song on the music streaming service of their choice, thereby generating even greater value for artists and rights holders.”
While TikTok has often seemed like a competitor to streaming services — especially when it comes to cornering the market on music discovery — the “Add to Music App” announcement stressed that they were all happy partners in a listener’s journey.
“We want to create less work to get to the audio you love,” Sten Garmark, Spotify’s global head of consumer experience, said in a statement last year. “That means being everywhere our users are and creating seamless ways to save songs to Spotify to enjoy when and how they choose to listen.”
In February, TikTok expanded access to the Add to Music app, making it available in 163 countries.
When “Big Dawgs,” the riotous song by Indian rapper Hanumankind and producer Kalmi, began spreading across the world in July, its creators couldn’t fully appreciate its impact. Despite sites like YouTube and Reddit signaling the song’s crossover appeal, Hanumankind and his team were largely in the dark about its impact on TikTok — including the more than 1 million posts using the track to date — since India banned the platform in 2020.
“We’re hearing about this going crazy, but we can’t wrap our heads around [it],” Hanumankind tells Billboard. “We’re sitting at home like, ‘I guess this is happening. Let’s strap in.’ ”
Born Sooraj Cherukat in India’s southern state of Kerala, Hanumankind was a self-described “child of chaos.” His family bounced around the globe with his father working in the oil sector, making stops in Nigeria, Qatar, Dubai and Egypt before moving to Houston in the early 2000s during his formative years.
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“Houston has a way of shaping a person,” he says, wearing a No. 34 Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets throwback jersey. “Whether you talk about UGK or DJ Screw, you hear it in everything. It was important to be there and absorb so much of that.”
Hanumankind
Samrat Nagar
Talking over Zoom, the 32-year-old has photos of 2Pac, MF DOOM and The Notorious B.I.G. in his living room — but even with his vast hip-hop knowledge, he says his parents hoped he would pursue “a real job and build a career.” He moved back to India for college in 2012, and after graduating, he burned through jobs at Goldman Sachs and different marketing agencies while living like “a f–king idiot.” (Upon turning 30, he temporarily gave up drinking entirely. Nowadays, he says, he drinks in moderation.)
Still, rapping largely remained a party trick he’d pull out at gatherings. But things changed in late 2019 following a performance at the NH7 Weekender Festival in India, pulling inspiration for his stage name from religion. (Hanuman is the half-monkey, half-man Hindu God of wisdom, strength and courage.)
“There was a mob of people running over from different areas, like, ‘Who the f–k is this guy?’” he remembers. “[After] that set, I was like, ‘This feels like something I can do. I just want to do something that gives me purpose. Am I decent at this? Can I make money off this? Cool.’ That’s all I needed.”
A year later, Hanumankind signed a management deal with Imaginary Frnds’ founder Rohan Venkatesh, with the company’s Abhimanyu Prakash helping as part of the management team. “He charmed the pants off me when I met him,” says Prakash. Adds Venkatesh, who first met the rapper backstage in 2018: “I knew this could go global. I believed in the art from day one.”
Hanumankind spent the next few years as an independent artist, releasing a pair of EPs and a handful of singles before his team decided to explore the major-label route, ultimately signing with Def Jam India at the start of 2023. “They were so ready to help us from day one,” says Prakash. “We’ve had this moment, and they’ve been pillars for us in figuring out how to grow it.”
Hanumankind
Samrat Nagar
That January, Hanumankind released the twitchy “Go to Sleep” — but nothing else for the year. With time ticking on his next move, he hopped on a Zoom in early 2024 with frequent collaborator Kalmi while living in Bengaluru. They began with a creative exercise they’d done before: Kalmi would queue up a beat for Hanumankind to rap on and they’d build an idea from whatever came out. “We didn’t want boundaries on us, and the minute [I heard the] beat, I was like, ‘Oh s–t.’”
After taking a liking to the engine-revving production and bristling synths, the hook came next, followed by the first verse. Within 30 minutes, the basic structure for “Big Dawgs” was set. “Instantly, this flow came in,” Hanumankind says, though he admits he began to overanalyze it. “I didn’t think it was a single at all — this song just came to be as a byproduct of being f–king weird, experimental folks.”
But Kalmi and Venkatesh changed his mind. “We knew this was the one instantly, there was a shock value to it,” Venkatesh says. “[Kalmi and I] went for a drive and played it four or five times. Next morning, we called Hanumankind and convinced him to drop.”
Kalmi tightened up the production, adding the chopped-and-screwed element to the song’s outro, and Hanumankind tacked on a second verse. On July 9, “Big Dawgs” arrived on streaming services.
Instead of a traditional marketing budget, Hanumankind’s team allocated much of their financial resources to the music video, which arrived the next day and opened the world’s eyes to a popular Indian spectacle known as the “Well of Death.” Two-stroke engine bikes and vintage cars whiz around in circles on the walls of a vertical pit, testing the limits of gravity — and in the video, Hanumankind even hangs out the window of one of the cars. “It was more of a culture shock for people, which was a unique selling point for us,” says Venkatesh. To date, the video has more than 116 million YouTube views.
Within a few days, Hanumankind realized the reception to “Big Dawgs” was different than any prior work, as it started extending well beyond India and into popular American music. “American hip-hop makes the world react. But this is the first time a lot of people were like, ‘There’s this video coming out of India,’” he says. Popular streamers like IShowSpeed and No Life Shaq reacted to the hit across social media platforms, boosting its visibility to another level.
By mid-August, “Big Dawgs” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 57; two weeks later, it reached a No. 23 high. The hit has also topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart and to date has earned 72 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 288.5 million official on-demand global streams through Sept. 5, according to Luminate.
“Everything came in a huge tidal wave,” says Hanumankind. “I feel like someone’s going to slap me in the face and wake me up.” Its reception has indeed been a dream for the rapper: both Project Pat and Bun B separately joined him on Instagram Live — in “Big Dawgs,” the former receives a name check and Hanumankind interpolates a lyric from UGK’s “Int’l Players Anthem” to pay homage to the latter.
Hanumankind is now eager to perform outside of India, and in September signed with Wasserman Music. He also plans to release a remix for “Big Dawgs” with an American rapper, though specifics on who or when are unknown. And while a debut album isn’t ready just yet, he’s still basking in what his breakthrough hit represents.
“I am just the tip of the iceberg of what can come from this side of the world,” he says. “If some random dude from India can make music and shoot a cool video that pops off, it allows people to dream a little harder.”
A version of this story will appear in the Sept. 28, 2024, issue of Billboard.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Keeping a tidy house requires owning a few essential cleaning supplies including a vacuum to help suck up any dirt that […]
The U.S. government and TikTok will go head-to-head in federal court on Monday as oral arguments begin in a consequential legal case that will determine if – or how — a popular social media platform used by nearly half of all Americans will continue to operate in the country.
Attorneys for the two sides will appear before a panel of judges at the federal appeals court in Washington. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, are challenging a U.S. law that requires them to break ties or face a ban in the U.S. by mid-January. The legal battle is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was a culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. But TikTok argues the law runs afoul of the First Amendment while other opponents claim it mirrors crackdowns sometimes seen in authoritarian countries abroad.
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In court documents submitted over the summer, the Justice Department emphasized the government’s two primary concerns. First, TikTok collects vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Second, the U.S. says the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.
TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and that concerns the government has raised have never been substantiated. In court documents, attorneys for both TikTok and its parent company have argued that members of Congress sought to punish the platform based on propaganda they perceived to be on TikTok. The companies also claimed divestment is not possible and that the app would have to shut down by Jan. 19 if the courts don’t step in to block the law.“Even if divestiture were feasible, TikTok in the United States would still be reduced to a shell of its former self, stripped of the innovative and expressive technology that tailors content to each user,” the companies said in a legal brief filed in June. “It would also become an island, preventing Americans from exchanging views with the global TikTok community.”
Opponents of the law stress a ban would also cause disruptions in the world of marketing, retail and in the lives of many different content creators, some of whom also sued the government in May. TikTok is covering the legal costs for that lawsuit, which the court has consolidated with the company’s complaint and another filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc.
Though the government’s primary reasoning for the law is public, significant portions of its court filings include classified information that has been redacted and hidden from public view. The companies have asked the court to reject the secret filings or appoint a district judge who can ferret through the material, which the government has opposed because it will cause a delay in the case. If admitted into the court, legal experts say those secret filings could make it nearly impossible to know some of the factors that could play a part in the eventual ruling.
In one of the redacted statements submitted in late July, the Justice Department claimed TikTok took direction from the Chinese government about content on its platform, without disclosing additional details about when or why those incidents occurred. Casey Blackburn, a senior U.S. intelligence official, wrote in a legal statement that ByteDance and TikTok “have taken action in response” to Chinese government demands “to censor content outside of China.” Though the intelligence community had “no information” that this has happened on the platform operated by TikTok in the U.S., Blackburn said there is a risk it “may” occur.
In a separate document submitted to court, the DOJ said the U.S. is “not required to wait until its foreign adversary takes specific detrimental actions before responding to such a threat.”
The companies, however, argue the government could have taken a more tailored approach to resolve its concerns.
During high-stakes negotiations with the Biden administration more than two years ago, TikTok presented the government with a draft 90-page agreement that allows a third party to monitor the platform’s algorithm, content moderation practices and other programming. TikTok says it has spent more than $2 billion to voluntarily implement some of these measures, which include storing U.S. user data on servers controlled by the tech giant Oracle. But it said a deal was not reached because government officials essentially walked away from the negotiating table in August 2022.
Justice officials have argued complying with the draft agreement is impossible, or would require extensive resources, due to the size and the technical complexity of TikTok. The Justice Department also said the only thing that would resolve the government’s concerns is severing the ties between TikTok and ByteDance given the porous relationship between the Chinese government and Chinese companies.
But some observers have wondered whether such a move would accelerate the so-called “decoupling” between the U.S. and its strategic rival at a time when other China-founded companies, such as Shein and Temu, are also making a big splash in the West. Last week, the Biden administration proposed rules that would crack down on duty-free products being shipped directly from China.
For its part, ByteDance has publicly said TikTok is not up for sale. But that has not stopped some investors, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, from announcing bids to purchase the platform. However, even if such a sale would occur, it would most likely be devoid of TikTok’s coveted algorithm, leaving a big question mark on whether the platform would be capable of serving up the type of personally tailored videos that users have come to expect.
The political alignments on the issue are playing out in unconventional ways.
The law, which passed with bipartisan approval in Congress, had encountered resistance from some progressive and Republican lawmakers who voiced concerns about giving the government the power to ban a platform used by 170 million Americans. Former President Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok while in office, is now opposing a ban because that would help its rival, Facebook, a platform Trump continues to criticize over his 2020 election loss.
In court, free speech and social justice groups have submitted amicus briefs in support of TikTok, arguing it restricts the First Amendment rights of users and suppresses the speech of minority communities by disrupting a tool many of them use to advocate for causes online. Some libertarian groups with ties to ByteDance investor Jeff Yass have also filed briefs supporting the company.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has received the backing of more than 20 Republican attorneys general, former national security officials and China-focused human rights groups who are asking the court to uphold the law.
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If you enjoy scrolling on TikTok while relaxing, listening to music or reading your favorite books on a Kindle, you can now get a wireless remote control shaped like a ring. It’s compact and easy to hold, so you can effortlessly navigate the For You page. For those who like reading on a Kindle, you can use the remote to turn pages without touching the screen — just attach it to your finger and click the button. Music lovers can also use this remote for music apps like Spotify.
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This TikTok-viral wireless remote is “easy to set up,” according to Amazon users. To get started, just go on your phone settings, select accessibility, then touch, and enable Assistive Touch. Next, pair your Bluetooth D01 Pro with your phone. Once connected, you can scroll up or down with the up and down buttons, and tap the middle button to like a TikTok video. One Amazon customer said, “One of my new favorite gadgets… fits comfortably on finger. Works great as a fidget device when not in use… so glad I saw this on TikTok!”
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The ring-shaped remote comes with a rechargeable case that takes just 90 minutes to fully charge and automatically powers off when the battery is full. With a single charge, it can last for over 14 hours and up to 86 hours with the charging case, according to the brand.
It’s available on Amazon and Walmart. You can get it in six different colors, including pink, black, blue, gray, purple and white.
Amazon
Remote Control for TikTok, Page Turner for Kindle App, Bluetooth Camera Video Recording Remote, Scrolling Ring for TIK Tok, iPhone, iPad, iOS, Android – Pink
This wireless remote is compatible with iOS, Android, iPad, iPhone, TikTok and Spotify. One Amazon user shared all the ways in which they use it, saying, “You can do so many things with it and use it on so many apps: scroll and click through stories on TikTok and Snapchat, scroll through your photos in your phone, you can skip through youtube videos. You can take a selfie or group photos with one click of your remote.”
For more product recommendations, check out this TikTok-viral swivel chair, Suni Lee’s TikTok-viral lip combo, and this TikTok favorite Lululemon backpack.
“The way this song was born is probably contrary to what everyone thinks,” Muni Long says with a laugh of her R&B hit “Made for Me.” That’s because the compassionate ballad — which arrived in 2023 before catching fire on TikTok, followed by a Mariah Carey remix this year — was inspired by a different kind of love story.
As Muni Long recalls, it was November 2022 and she had given birth to her son two months prior (all of which she kept private until this August, when she performed with him on her hip during her opening set touring with Chris Brown). She says she was “getting the itch to write,” so she had a studio put in her house. One day, the Grammy Award winner began listening again to a piano chord progression she had sent a while back to her friend, producer Jordan XL. “I just started literally doing what the song says,” Muni Long adds, “looking around this room, seeing baby toys. And I write this song about my baby because he’s right next door.”
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Still not satisfied with the track after performing it live a couple of times, Muni Long questioned what was missing — “Does it need drums?” she wondered. At her A&R executive’s suggestion, she booked a session with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. While working on other songs with the pair, she played the track she had become obsessed with. “They were polite, but nobody had a crazy reaction,” she recalls. Two weeks later, they sent her a new version — complete with drums.
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Yet Muni Long was still unsure: “ ‘Maybe it is just a piano vocal,’ ” she thought. “I toyed with it for a couple of months, asking others, ‘Is this good? Am I tripping?’ Then Tunji [Balogun, Def Jam Recordings chairman/CEO] said, ‘This is the song we’re going with.’ I’m like, ‘If you’re willing to stand behind this, then do it.’ ”
In January, the catchy track with its emotional chorus gained traction on TikTok thanks to a challenge tied to a lyric: “Twin, where have you been?” The boost helped “Made for Me” hit a No. 8 peak on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100 in March. In May, Muni Long sustained momentum with her Carey remix. And now, her hot streak continues with “Make Me Forget,” her first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay. Both hits appear on her newly released second album, Revenge.
This story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
With August slipping away into a moment in time, as Taylor Swift would say, the time is coming for you to pack away your jean shorts and start breaking out your layering pieces. An oversized sweater has become the definition of cozy season, but one particular style has caught the attention of TikTok for its loose, baggy look that’ll keep you comfortable while giving off a vintage aesthetic — and it just got restocked.
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Grey Bandit’s Cool Vibe sweater has gone viral on the social media platform for its retro-inspired design that features the highly sought out “dad” pattern. At first glance, the geometric pattern will transport you to a wood cabin, cozied up in front of a fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate. Reviewers are also calling the design “perfect for the holidays,” as it can easily be paired with jeans or a classic pair of leggings.
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According to the brand, the sweater was released back in 2023, and after going viral, quickly sold out. Now, it’s been restocked just in time for the new fall season.
Keep reading to learn more and buy the sweater online.
Grey Bandit
Cool Vibes Sweater
When you throw on Grey Bandit’s Cool Vibes Sweater, you’ll be met with a soft polyester, wool and spandex material to keep you warm and comfy. The style is more oversized, which means you’ll want to size down if you don’t want a baggier fit. Reviewers also mention that drying the sweater will shrink it.
TikToker @bri.belanger posted a video showing off the oversized fall sweater, which has earned more than 16,000 views on the platform. Commenters were quick to gush over the Grey Bandit sweater, even claiming it gives off Rory Gilmore vibes from Gilmore Girls.
“I will not be taking this sweater off until next spring, thank you,” the caption for the video reads.
For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best shackets, oversized leather jackets and cropped puffer coats.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Shopping for budget-friendly makeup doesn’t mean sacrificing quality. If you’re looking for top-notch products under $15, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re perfecting your everyday look or trying something new, you’ll find affordable options that deliver impressive results. From TikTok-viral makeup products to everyday must-haves, you’ll find everything you need to keep your beauty routine fresh and exciting.
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A standout beauty item in the TikTok world is the Judy Doll Iron Mascara, known for its ability to lift and curl your lashes, giving you a dramatic look that lasts all day — and it’s only $10. One Amazon customer said, “I heard using this mascara after curling my lashes would actually keep them up. I’ve been using this for over a month now and it’s amazing! The curl in my lashes stay, it doesn’t smudge, and my eyes don’t get irritated.”
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Another TikTok gem is the Palladio Lip Stain, which has quickly become a favorite for its long-lasting, vibrant color. This is a great option when it comes to achieving a fresh, on-trend lip look that complements any makeup routine. An Amazon customer said, “Whenever I wear this I am always asked what I’m wearing. It lasts all night without needing to be reapplied and is the perfect look for something natural.” With a mix of classic staples and trendy must-haves, this selection offers something for every beauty lover, ensuring you stay on-trend without overspending.
Some of the top-notch affordable makeup brands include Wet n Wild, Physiciansformula, NYX Professional Makeup, Maybelline, Revolution Beauty, Palladio, L’Oreal Paris, Revlon and Generic.
Target
Wet N Wild Makeup Sponge Applicator
If you’re looking to refresh your makeup sponge, consider this Wet N Wild Sponge Applicator to achieve a smooth finish. It’s also washable and reusable, making it a practical option.
Target
Wet n Wild Photo Focus Loose Setting Powder
Keep your makeup in place with this Wet n Wild Loose Setting Powder. Its smooth and lightweight texture provides a flawless finish for all-day wear. You can get it in two different colors: Translucent or Banana.
Target
Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush
If you’re looking for a buildable and natural flush, consider this Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush. Its smooth formula ensures a long-lasting, fresh look throughout your day.
Target
Physiciansformula Butter Dream Team Palette
This dream palette includes bronzers, blush, highlighter, and face powder. With its blendable powders, you can achieve a smooth and natural glow.
Target
Physiciansformula Murumuru Butter Glow Liquid Bronzer
For a sun-kissed look, add this Physiciansformula Murumuru Butter Glow Liquid Bronzer to your cart. You can use it to contour your face and body.
Target
NYX Professional Makeup Vivid Rich Mechanical Eye Pencil
Are you looking to add a pop of color to your makeup routine? One easy way to do this is with colored eye liners. Consider adding this NYX Professional Makeup Vivid Rich Mechanical Eye Pencil to your cart. It’s available in twelve different colors from Amber Stunner to Aquamarine Dream.
Target
Covergirl Clean Fresh Yummy Lip Gloss
This Covergirl Lip Gloss is all over TikTok. One TikTok user described it as a mix between a gloss and an oil, achieving a “juicy” look. You can get it in eleven different colors.
Ulta Beauty
NYX Professional Makeup Suede Matte Lip Liner Velvet Soft Vegan Lip Pencil
For those looking to discover a fresh new lip combo, consider adding this NYX Professional Makeup Suede Matte Lip Liner to the mix. It’s available in multiple colors and it’s only $5.
Walmart
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Multi Use Concealer
$8.80
$9.99
12% off
If you’re in search of a new concealer, consider adding this Maybelline Multi Use Concealer. This is a great option for under-eye dark circle coverage. It also helps conceal, contour and correct for a flawless look.
Amazon
Revolution Beauty, Reloaded Pressed Powder Highlighter, Intensely Pigmented for a High Impact Dewy Finish, Dare To Divulge, 0.22 Oz.
Add a touch of shimmer to your overall makeup look with this Revolution Beauty Powder Highlighter. It’s available in three different colors: Dare to Divulge, Make an Impact, and Set the Tone.
Amazon
Palladio Lip Stain, Hydrating and Waterproof Formula, Matte Color Look, Longlasting All Day Wear Lip Color, Smudge Proof Natural Finish, Precise Chisel Tip Marker, Mocha Cream
For those looking to add trendy makeup products to your routine, consider adding this Palladio Lip Stain to your routine. TikTokers are obsessed with the mocha color and enjoy its marker-like shape, which makes it easy to apply.
Walmart
L’Oreal Paris Original Satin Lipstick for Moisturized Lips
$7.12
$8.95
20% off
This L’Oreal Paris Lipstick is a great addition to any makeup look. It not only adds color, but keeps your lips moisturized as well. According to the brand the color does not smear or smudge.
Amazon
Julep Eyeshadow 101 Crème to Powder Waterproof Eyeshadow Stick, Mint Matte
$8.00
$18.00
56% off
Elevate your makeup game with this Julep Pencil Eyeshadow. This bestseller is an easy way to achieve a bold look and it’s now available for up to 56 percent off.
Amazon
Generic Judy Doll Mascara Iron Strong Mascara, 3D Curling Eyelash, Non-Clumping, Smudge Proof, Flake Proof, Long Lasting (Brown)
Are your lashes pointing downward? This TikTok-viral Judy Doll Iron mascara lifts and curls your lashes. Go get yours now!
Ulta Beauty
Wet n Wild MegaGlo Dual-Ended Contour Stick
This 2-in-1 dual-ended contour stick is also a highlighter. One end features a highlighter, while the other end contains a contour stick, providing a convenient 2-in-1 tool for all your makeup needs.
For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best Too Faced Cosmetics beauty products, this travel-friendly Rare Beauty puffy makeup bag, and TikTok’s favorite $10 gel primer.