TikTok Defies Ban Fears with Major Alan Walker Campaign and US Merch Launch

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January 17, 2025 at 11:42 PM

TikTok has launched an extensive partnership with electronic music producer Alan Walker, despite the app's looming forced-sale deadline in the United States. The collaboration coincides with Walker's fifth album release, Walkerworld 2.0, distributed through TikTok's SoundOn platform.

The comprehensive marketing campaign includes:

An exclusive in-app experience
Dedicated livestream events
Special artist video content
Video creation challenges with prizes
Exclusive tour access and discounts
U.S.-exclusive merchandise through TikTok Shop

DJ performing with electronic equipment

Nichal Sethi, SoundOn's head for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, emphasized TikTok's role in artist development: "We are incredibly excited to launch this groundbreaking campaign with Alan, an artist who truly understands the power of TikTok to build his career and engage with the global community."

Walker, who boasts 26.75 million monthly Spotify listeners, shared his perspective: "TikTok is where creations meet and this resonates with the space that I have been creating with Walkerworld – creativity is a way of self-expression and it should be borderless."

The campaign's initial impact is already evident – Walker's TikTok following increased from 12.8 million to 13.3 million within days of the announcement. The partnership's success and continuation may face uncertainty due to TikTok's potential U.S. ban, particularly affecting SoundOn's operations and U.S.-exclusive merchandise offerings.