10.19.2022

TikTok, Syco, Universal Music Group, Republic Records and Samsung announce
groundbreaking new evolution in global music collaboration:

New Music Format ‘StemDrop’ – A Song for the World

– StemDrop is a new evolution of musical collaboration, curation and artist discovery to be launched on TikTok with Syco, UMG, Republic Records & Samsung

– On October 26th, the hit-songwriting team of Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami will release “Red Lights” exclusively on TikTok

– The TikTok community can create, record & share their own unique versions to kick-start their music careers. 

The News:

Oct, 19, 2022 – StemDrop launches in collaboration with one of the greatest songwriting teams in history, led by Max Martin. TikTok creators globally are exclusively provided with music ‘stems’ and invited to produce their own versions of a brand-new song written by the prolific hitmakers.

Simon Cowell and Syco Entertainment, the pioneers behind the world’s most successful talent discovery formats, along with award winning international entertainment executive Tim Van Rongen, have partnered with Universal Music Group, the world-leader in music-based entertainment and its Republic Records label to create StemDrop – a new evolution of musical collaboration, curation and artist discovery to be launched exclusively with TikTok and Samsung.

Joining StemDrop for its launch are the prolific hit-making team, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami. Revolutionizing global music collaboration, StemDrop will act as an incubator for new talent, artistry, and creativity by giving the opportunity for all artists and music creators, from anywhere in the world, the opportunity to collaborate with some of the very best and most iconic songwriting talents of all time.

Made possible by Samsung, there will also be a first of its kind “StemDrop Mixer” on TikTok where creators of all levels can experiment with individual effects, harmonies and melodies to create and upload their own unique version of the song.

Officially launching on October 26th on TikTok, with creative direction from Syco Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s Republic Records and powered by Samsung Galaxy. StemDrop is a never-before-seen platform for artists to showcase their talent to the world.

Max Martin, the prolific producer and songwriter, has produced dozens of the greatest and best known Billboard number 1 singles over the last two decades, including Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”, Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”, Céline Dion’s “That’s the Way It is”, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”.

Fueled by their passion to collaborate, the multiple Grammy-Award winning songwriters Max Martin, Savan Kotecha (One Direction, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, The Weeknd)  and Ali Payami (Taylor Swift, The Weeknd) are releasing a version of their brand-new single “Red Lights” for the first StemDrop, kicking-off this new generation of global music collaboration.

TikTok’s community of over one billion users continues to push culture forward and at the heart of TikTok is the belief that anyone can take a sound, creative idea, trend or cultural moment and flip it to collaborate with others and create something entirely original, entertaining and engaging.

On October 26, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami will release 60-seconds of a brand new single exclusively on TikTok. As soon as the song drops, the community will be able to access the ‘stems’ (the individual components of the song i.e. drums, bass guitar, vocal parts etc) through the StemDrop H5 page and can create, record & share their own unique versions to kick-start their music careers.

As part of the partnership between Samsung & TikTok, announced in September at IFA conference in Berlin, Samsung will be facilitating the program through product innovations that are open to all and exclusive to none.

The StemDrop Profile will also provide TikTok users, and creators a window into the StemDrop process, as new versions of the track from around the world are curated weekly by each of the individual songwriting teams as well as TikTok, Syco, Republic Records and Universal Music Group. TikTok music curator Ari Elkins, singer-songwriter Astrid S and Your Boy Moyo will act as global ambassadors for StemDrop and host daily content on the @StemDrop channel on TikTok.

The official StemDrop channel (@StemDrop) has posted videos today to celebrate the launch of StemDrop and spark excitement among the TikTok community.

Speaking on the launch of StemDrop, Simon Cowell says: “Hit songs are like diamonds and they can change an artist’s career overnight. With tens of thousands of songs uploaded every day this idea will give aspiring artists the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most successful songwriters in the world. The premise was always very straightforward… ‘What would happen if the best songwriters in the world wrote a song for the world…….?’ We have no idea what’s going to happen. I do know there are so many incredibly talented people who are trying to stand out and I hope and believe this could make a big difference to their careers. It says everything about Max Martin, Savan and Ali that they have decided to give this song to the TikTok community to record and collaborate with them. And I want to thank them so much for believing in this idea. In addition, I want to thank TikTok, Samsung and Universal for their support and enthusiasm. Again, their passionate support of talented people is amazing.”

StemDrop co-creator Tim Van Rongen comments: “I’m thrilled to be part of the next step in talent discovery. I feel it’s the exact right moment to launch a music project where the creative process is fully in the hands of the creators on TikTok. I can’t wait to see what everyone will come up with and think that the world will be surprised by the enormous creative variety that StemDrop and the TikTok community will deliver.”

Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music at TikTok says: “We are thrilled to finally announce StemDrop to the world. Some of the biggest names in entertainment, music and technology are coming together to supercharge music discovery in a way never seen before, using the power of the TikTok platform to unearth new talent. Every day, brilliant and promising young artists turn to TikTok to share their music and find a global audience. Now, with the support of industry heavyweights like Syco, UMG, Republic Records and Samsung, together we’re set to revolutionize global music collaboration as we know it.”

Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group comments: “UMG exists at the intersection of innovation and talent discovery, so we’re excited to partner with Simon and the incredible team he’s assembled to launch this new platform, harnessing the scale of TikTok, to leverage the artistry of creators worldwide.”

Paul Hourican, Global Head of Music Operations at TikTok says: “TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, and with StemDrop our aim is to provide our creative community, wherever they are, an opportunity to collaborate and create with the world’s most iconic songwriters and their work in a new and original way.  The breadth and diversity of musical talent emerging on TikTok every day is breathtaking and we’re committed to opening doors for artists and propelling new talent to find sustained success both on and off the platform. We can’t wait to see what this collaboration brings so thank you to Max, Simon and the teams at Syco, UMG, and Republic who have helped bring this to life.”

Monte Lipman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Republic Records, says: “StemDrop provides an unprecedented opportunity capturing the spirit of experimentation and remains the cornerstone of the music community’s creative process. We embrace and celebrate the innovation of these extraordinary individuals as they sail into uncharted waters.”

Benjamin Braun, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Europe comments: “From movies, games and music – Samsung understands that entertainment is the most exciting when it evolves. This partnership with TikTok, Syco Entertainment and Universal Music Group is a ground-breaking new chapter that will redefine music creation.As leaders in innovation, we feel a responsibility to constantly find ways to champion creativity – the openness of StemDrop does just that. This mission has been longstanding: from the launch of Samsung Spotlight, an initiative to support performing artists in the wake of the pandemic, to our partnership with UMG on Music Galaxy Thursdays, allowing music lovers free access to never-seen-before artist interviews, performances, and behind-the-scenes footage in the lead-up to New Music Friday. Now, our advancements in the foldables market are changing the way we use mobile devices as the ultimate tool for both productivity and self-expression. We’re extremely excited to build on our evolving role in the music industry, to continue leading the way in technological innovation, and to inspire the world to #MakeItWithSamsung.”

It all starts on Wednesday 26th October when Max Martin drops a brand new track exclusively on TikTok. Stems and all.

Check out the story on TikTok’s newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/introducing-stemdrop-a-new-evolution-in-global-music-collaboration

For more info, please contact:
For TikTok:
Michelle McDevitt, Annjie Houston, Destiny Riley or T’Keyah Hayes, Audible Treats
Leah Linder, TikTok

For Simon Cowell:
AnnMarie Samson, Arion Strategies

For Universal Music Group:
James Murtagh-Hopkins, Universal

The Background:

About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

About Simon Cowell and Syco Entertainment
Simon Cowell is a television and film producer, record executive and a global entertainment visionary. Renowned for his eye for talent Simon has completely transformed popular culture through his showbusiness enterprise.

His company, Syco Entertainment, is an independent entertainment company which created and owns TV formats such as “Got Talent” and “The X Factor”. Got Talent is officially the world’s most successful reality TV format; America’s Got Talent has remained the No1 summer series in the US for the past 16 years; The X Factor is the most successful music TV format in history delivering more global chart stars than any other show in the world.  These two shows are currently on air in more than 180 countries and are watched by more than a billion people each year.

Through his TV formats, Simon has launched more superstar careers than any other in history including One Direction, Fifth Harmony, Leona Lewis, Little Mix, James Arthur, Grace VanderWaal and Susan Boyle.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms, and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information, visit www.universalmusic.com.

About Republic Records
A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, Republic Records is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Bastille, Billy Porter, Bo Burnham, Clairo, Conan Gray, Daddy Yankee, Drake, Eddie Vedder, G Herbo, Glass Animals, Florence + the Machine, Greta Van Fleet, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack Johnson, James Blake, James Bay, Jessie J, Jimmy Fallon, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Jonas Brothers, Julia Michaels, Kid Cudi, Kim Petras, Lil Wayne, Lorde, Metro Boomin, NAV, Nicki Minaj, Of Monsters and Men, Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Seth MacFarlane, Stevie Wonder, Swedish House Mafia, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, TXT, Twice and more. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman, it is also comprised of innovative business ventures, including American Recordings, Boominati Worldwide, Brushfire, Casablanca Records, Cash Money, HYBE, Imperial, JYP, Lava Records, Universal Arabic Music, Victor Victor, XO, Young Money, among others.  In addition, Republic is home to high-profile soundtracks for Universal Pictures (Sing and Sing 2), Sony Pictures (Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse), Apple TV+ (Coda), Netflix (Don’t Look Up), MGM/UAR (Licorice Pizza), NBC TV’s (The Voice) as well as other notable film and television franchises. Expanding further into content, Republic has launched Federal Films which produces films, television series, podcasts and documentaries. With projects that align with Republic’s artists and brand, Federal Films is building a diverse slate that will bring compelling stories to audiences around the world. Initial documentary releases include Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You, Jonas Brothers’ Chasing Happiness, and Todd Haynes’ highly acclaimed, The Velvet Underground.

Links:

TikTok’s Newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us