7 Reasons Why You Need To Duet Other Artists As A Music Creator

It’s no secret that TikTok is completely transforming the way we consume and discover music. When it comes to marketing your music, being on the app is absolutely essential.

However, it’s not just about being present on TikTok; it’s what you’re choosing to present as an artist. Below, we’ll take a deep dive into why the “duet” feature on TikTok is so powerful as a musician and why you need to incorporate it into your content.

Yes, You Too, Need To Be On TikTok

It’s easy to understand why some artists may want to avoid being on TikTok altogether. The app rightfully has a reputation for being primarily Gen-Z focused, which might not be the target audience for all musicians.

That being said, TikTok’s benefits for artists highly outweigh any potential downsides for musicians who want to get their music to a larger audience. This app isn’t just breaking new artists; it’s also reviving past works, which is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past.

Just look at Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” which was released in 1977. While this song is certainly a classic, a single viral video landed it back on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020, which is over four decades after it initially saw success.

You need to be on TikTok as an artist. Even if you’re lamenting positing like Gavin Degraw, it’s still an amazing way to connect with fans and find new ones.

Where Can I Duet Music?

A “Duet” feature allows you to make a derivative work out of someone’s content, responding in live time to a video with another video. Here are the places where you can duet other musicians:

• TikTok: Unsurprisingly, TikTok is likely the most impactful place to duet content since it’s the platform where the “Duet” style video was popularized. Other derivative features include “Stitch” and “Reply with video.”

• Instagram “Remix”: Instagram reels has rolled out a similar feature to “Duet” with “Remix” which essentially operates in the same way.

• YouTube Shorts: YouTube shorts, unfortunately, does not have a duet feature just yet, but it’s reasonable to expect that it will come soon enough. However, you can add other content using YouTube Shorts’ “Remix” which is very similar to TikTok’s “Stitch” function.

7 Reasons Why You Need To Duet Other Artists As A Musician

Here’s precisely why you’ll want to make use of the duet feature on TikTok and other social media platforms:

1. It allows you to target your ideal audience.

Are there any musicians that inspire your sound? Of course, there are! Use duets as an opportunity to target niche audiences from artists you admire or have a similar sound to you. Duets are an awesome way to teach the algorithm who you’re trying to align with.

2. You can earn visibility from those you admire most.

There are plenty of fans who comment on a post, but not everyone takes the time to make a duet. Duetting some of your favorite artists can open the door for your heroes to hear about you or even repost your content if it’s engaging enough.

3. Duets feed algorithms.

Platforms like TikTok reward you when you take the time to utilize all of their features. Derivative features like duets are particularly incentivized since a single video linking back to another video (so on and so forth) can help increase viewer watch time.

4. You’re contributing to your community.

Posting on social media can sometimes feel as though you’re sending out content into the void. Duets are designed to provide an interactive experience that fosters a community for the creator you’re referencing and your base audience.

5. Duets are excellent networking tools.

Duets make it easy for you to subtly network with other artists and audiences without being too pushy or overt. You never know who might come across your videos, and the more you showcase your skill set, the more likely you are to earn opportunities.

6. A duet transforms a 1-sided experience into an interactive one.

Social media doesn’t always foster a true feeling of human interaction since it’s often a single person interacting with the camera as the subject. Duets bring together this sense of shared interaction, which is extra engaging for fans.

We're currently developing a whole host of interactive, remixable experiences for music creators at Controlla. Join our email list to stay in the loop:

7. It’s an easy content and personality piece.

Don’t know what to post on a given day? No worries – just duet an inspiring creator and share your perspective on their points. Duets allow creators to take a break from constantly churning out original ideas, making space for better and more well-thought-out art.

TikTok Duet Ideas

Ready to start creating duets? Here are some easy TikTok ideas for musicians to try out:

• Make a topline. If you’re a singer or instrumentalist, add a melody or harmony on top of what the duet has already created.

• Remix the duet. Remixes are effective, approachable pieces of content that just about any audience can enjoy. Try to remix trending sounds and put your spin on it for the most reach possible.

• Add music to something non-musical. True musicians can make music out of anything! Duet a trending audio and turn it into a musical creation.

• Riff off someone making a good point. Artists don’t necessarily have to always be playing or making music to build a strong following on TikTok. If you see someone within the industry make a good point regarding music as a whole, duet it with your perspective.

TikTok duets can be transformative to your artist network and fanbase. Enjoy making these short but powerful videos!