TikTok’s latest feature for musicians is a series of brilliant videos

TikTok is introducing a new way for musicians on the platform to promote their music – this time through a series of videos.

The series, called “Off the Record,” is produced by TikTok and features musical artists such as Shakira, Charli XCX and Meghan Trainor. Short clips are similar to series like music explorer or The New York Times’ “Diary of a Song,” where artists talk about their inspiration behind the songs, the writing and recording process, and more. The videos – some of which have already been aired – are shared by artists throughout June.

TikTok also announced an in-app hub where Off the Record videos are streamed. Users can find the page by searching #OfftheRecord.

“Off the Record is part of TikTok’s ongoing efforts to support artists at every point in their journey and deepen the connection between artists and fans, which is only possible on TikTok,” the company wrote in a blog post.

TikTok has so completely reshaped the music industry that there’s even a Billboard chart that tracks the platform’s most popular songs. The platform created new stars, reignited the careers of established musicians and gave rise to a subgenre of music which seems designed to go viral on the platform.

But the music industry’s relationship with TikTok has sometimes been rocky. As with other streaming platforms, including Spotify, artists and record labels have said compensation is inadequate for artists who soundtrack billions of TikTok videos. In the age of powerful artificial intelligence tools, fake voices resembling famous musicians have flooded online platforms, and in many cases, artists have no control over their AI doubles. On TikTok, friction reached a boiling point in February when Universal Music Group — which represents artists including Taylor Swift and Drake — began pulling its catalog as licensing negotiations with TikTok stalled. The two sides reached a new agreement in May, stating that “protecting human creativity” was a common goal.

In recent months, TikTok has introduced features that are more obviously promotional for musicians. A set of themed frames and “challenges” released for the release of Swift’s newest album, for example, emerged amid the fight between UMG and TikTok, and Swift’s music returned to the platform before an official agreement was announced. TikTok’s new brand interview series is an extension of that: another marketing opportunity for two co-dependent industries.