888WHRD Music News | Industry Insight
Brendan B. Brown, frontman of the early-2000s alt-rock band Wheatus, has voiced concern over TikTok’s growing influence on the music industry. While he acknowledges that the platform can help new artists reach audiences they might not otherwise find, he believes the constant pressure to produce daily content is ultimately harmful to creativity.
“I think good songs come from meditation and contemplation and a long walk in the woods,” Brown told ContactMusic.com. . “They don’t come from having to worry about what your manager thinks of your most recent content.”
Brown’s critique centers on the idea that TikTok encourages quantity over quality, pushing artists to chase trends rather than focus on authentic expression. He argues that this environment undermines the organic process of songwriting and artistic development.
Despite his reservations, Brown recently shared the stage with Ed Sheeran in Hamburg, performing Wheatus’s iconic hit “Teenage Dirtbag” alongside Sheeran’s high school band. The collaboration sparked talk of future studio work between the two artists.
“I think we certainly will,” Brown said of a potential studio session with Sheeran. “I talked to him about it yesterday, in fact.”
As TikTok continues to reshape how music is discovered and consumed, Brown’s perspective adds a thoughtful counterpoint to the conversation — one that champions artistry over algorithms.
Source: Music-News.com
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