LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – StemDrop is a new evolution of musical collaboration, curation, and artist discovery scheduled to launch on TikTok with Syco, Universal Music Group (UMG), Republic Records, and Samsung on October 26.
Simon Cowell and Syco Entertainment, the pioneers behind one of the most successful talent discovery formats, along with award-winning international entertainment executive Tim Van Rongen, have partnered with UMG 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. StemDrop will act as an incubator for new talent, artistry, and creativity by allowing all artists and music creators from anywhere in the world to collaborate with some of the 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 26 on TikTok, with creative direction from Syco Entertainment and UMG’s Republic Records and powered by Samsung Galaxy. StemDrop is a platform for artists to showcase their talent to the world.
Martin, the prolific producer, and songwriter, has produced dozens of the most significant and best-known Billboard No. 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.”
Fuelled by their passion for collaborating, the multiple Grammy-Award-winning songwriter’s Martin, Kotecha (One Direction, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera) and Payami (Taylor Swift, The Weeknd) are releasing a version of their brand-new single “Red Lights” for the first StemDropexclusively on TikTok.
The trio will release 60-seconds of the new single. 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, and share their own unique versions to kick-start their music careers. As part of the partnership between Samsung and TikTok, Samsung will facilitate the program through product innovations open to all and exclusive to none.
The StemDrop Profile will also provide TikTok 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 and TikTok, Syco, Republic Records, and UMG. 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.
Speaking on the launch of StemDrop, Cowell says: “Hit songs are like diamonds, and they can change an artist’s career overnight. With tens of thousands of songs uploaded daily, this idea will allow aspiring artists 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 some so many incredibly talented people are trying to stand out and I hope and believe this could make a big difference in their careers. It says everything about Max, 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.”
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.”
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 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.”
Paul Hourican, Global Head of Music Operations at TikTok, says: “TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, and with StemDrop, we aim 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, Savan, Ali, Simon, and the Syco, UMG, and Republic teams who have helped bring this to life.”
Monte Lipman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 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.”
