MusicWatch: In Q4 2024, TikTok's music user market share will drop to 29%, while Meta's will rise to 36%.

Image caption: MusicWatch's latest research shows that TikTok music users are flowing to Meta and Google

The study investigated the time that American music users spend on social media platforms. Data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2024, TikTok's share in this category dropped from 34% to 29%; Meta's Instagram and Facebook's combined share rose to 36%, even exceeding TikTok's previous market share, and Google's YouTube also grew to 26%.

This change is particularly evident among young people. TikTok's market share has dropped sharply from 51% to 42%. This means that although TikTok still occupies a certain market share, the core users of the platform are being taken away by Meta and Google.

Among users aged 45 and above, TikTok's market share also fell by 4 percentage points, while the shares of other social media platforms increased accordingly.

There are many factors that have led to this situation. The TikTok US ban is undoubtedly an important reason that has prompted some users to turn to other platforms. Users have chosen other alternatives out of concern that the platform may be banned, and Meta's related platforms have naturally become a popular choice. As competition intensifies, TikTok's advantages are gradually being weakened, and its influence on the market structure is far less powerful than originally imagined.

The severe situation of TikTok's declining market share and loss of young users has also given its competitors an opportunity to seize the market.

Image caption: The Information reported that Instagram may launch an independent app for its short video feature Reels

According to the US media The Information, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told employees this week that Instagram is considering launching a standalone app for its short video feature Reels. The app will mimic TikTok, and the media described it as Instagram's most radical move to take advantage of TikTok's uncertain situation in the United States.

In August 2020, when the US government first attempted to ban TikTok, Instagram immediately launched the Reels short video feature.

Instagram has been trying to attract more young users and creators. In January this year, when TikTok's "sell or ban" law was about to take effect, Instagram took decisive action and began to provide creators with tens of thousands of dollars per month to encourage them to post content only on Reels in order to grab high-quality content resources. At the same time, Instagram also announced the launch of a new video editing application Edits to compete with ByteDance's similar product CapCut.

Last month, Meta Chief Financial Officer Susan Lee specifically highlighted the growth in the amount of time users around the world were spending watching videos on Instagram when speaking to analysts.