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Triller: the app well placed to become TikTok’s main rival

Yet another app has joined the race to becoming Gen Z’s new favourite video-sharing platform as the White House moves to ban TikTok.

Facing a potential ban in the US due to various security and privacy concerns, TikTok is fighting for its life and, as a result, millions of its users may well be looking for a new home in the weeks to come. Following months of controversy, a number of competitors have taken note of this, jumping on the short-form video bandwagon by launching new features and whole platforms dedicated to bitesized creativity.

A rare window of opportunity, Instagram, Snapchat, Byte, Zynn, and Clash are all offering TikTok clones designed to win over the current demographic, but there exists one app that’s coming out on top. Describing itself as the ‘adult version’ of TikTok, Triller wants the world to know that it isn’t looking to be yet another copycat. ‘We look at TikTok like a stepping stone to Triller,’ says the company’s co-owner and Hollywood producer, Ryan Kavanaugh. ‘The app’s content is a little more risqué, meant for a slightly older crowd.’

Given that, to date, Triller has been downloaded more than 250 million times across the globe with approximately 65 million active users, there’s no denying its popularity. And the determination to avoid younger audiences by refusing to replicate TikTok’s formula certainly makes it stand out amongst the rest. But what exactly is it?

Triller, downloaded 250m times, hits No.1 on the App store in 50 ...

The Triller experience is one rooted in music: specifically Hip-Hop. Having raised investments from big names in the industry such as Migos, 21 Savage, and Snoop Dogg, the app has garnered a particular fandom that, according to DigiDay, is the reason it’s become such an intriguing prospect for marketers in 2020. Essentially, it’s the focus on ‘serving a more engaged subset (i.e. music fans)’ that truly sets it apart from the rest.

In permitting users to pull entire songs from their playlists (as opposed to just several seconds) to then incorporate into clips of themselves rapping or singing along, Triller is striving to bridge the gap between music streams and viral videos. The primary difference is that its editing algorithm uses intelligent audio and facial analysis to decide when to cut. In other words, you perform and Triller edits your video for you.

 

What makes it relatively similar to TikTok however, is the artificial intelligence technology it provides that can be used to make videos seem more professional, but Triller is committed to staying firmly within the music space rather than become its own entertainment business. ‘Giving creators — both young and old — the opportunity to establish a stream of revenue through content creation, with a focus on what they stand for and believe in is a winning combination amid a year in which we’ve seen a number of social movements come to the fore,’ says innovation director at digital agency Isobar, Alex Hamilton.  ‘It’s very easy to grow an audience on Triller and you can actually leverage that following to grow elsewhere. We’ve seen great results with people growing a presence on there and then moving over from Instagram or Twitter.’

And move over they have. Just last Tuesday, four of TikTok’s most popular creators announced they’d be leaving the platform in favour of ‘the game-changing music video maker app.’ Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson, Noah Beck, and Anthony Reeves of Sway House collective are now asking their combined following of 50 million users to join them on Triller, after signing onto its payroll as investors and equity shareholders (as reported by the LA Times). What’s interesting is that, in any case, the fact that Triller’s visibility is largely driven by TikTok stars is an undeniable testament to TikTok’s positioning in our culture. Successfully poaching starts like these is indeed promising for the app, but with features like Reels in the mix, and others like it continuing to pop up – only time can really tell which’ll be the next platform to achieve a whopping 800 million active use base and break through the two-billion download mark.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until that September 15th deadline.

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