Andrew Mall 4/14/25 Andrew Mall 4/14/25

Songs are getting shorter, thanks in part to Spotify and TikTok algorithms

The Washington Times (2025). Songs are becoming shorter as artists tailor their tracks to fit the algorithms of TikTok and Spotify, where quick hooks and replay-friendly formats drive plays and chart success. “Artists, especially new young artists, are simply just creating hooks and trying to circulate those on TikTok,” professor Andrew Mall, who studies music and media at Northeastern University, told The Washington Times.

Andrew Mall 2/13/24 Andrew Mall 2/13/24

Sound not found: The disturbance within TikTok

The Arkansas Traveler (2024). From Ariana Grande to Zach Bryan, TikTok has prevented many artists' music from syncing onto the social media platform. Reporter Mark Garcia quotes Andrew Mall’s insights recently published by the Associated Press.

Andrew Mall 2/13/24 Andrew Mall 2/13/24

Here’s Why Millions of Your Favourite Tik Tok Videos Have Fallen Silent

The Quicky (podcast, 2024). Mamamia podcast house Claire Murphy speaks with Andrew Mall about the emerging licensing standoff between Universal Music Group and TikTok.

Andrew Mall 2/4/24 Andrew Mall 2/4/24

CBC talks with Andrew Mall about Universal Music vs. TikTok

CBC (television broadcast, 2024). On the night of the Grammys, CBC's Deana Sumanac of CBC Newsroom talks with Andrew Mall about Universal Music vs. TikTok.

Andrew Mall 2/1/24 Andrew Mall 2/1/24

Songs by Taylor Swift, Drake and more are starting to disappear from TikTok. Here’s why

Associated Press (2024). TikTok may look (or sound) a little different when you scroll through the app going forward. Earlier this week, Universal Music Group — which represents big-name artists like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Drake — said that it would no longer allow its music on TikTok following the Wednesday expiration of a licensing deal between the two companies. Avid TikTokers are already seeing the effects. Here’s a rundown of where things stand.

Andrew Mall 12/11/23 Andrew Mall 12/11/23

From Kate Bush to Glass Animals, how TikTok and TV help give music a new life

Northeastern Global News Magazine (2023). Whether it be reviving a decades-old holiday classic or breathing new life into an older release, TikTok, television and movies hold great sway. Where DJs and dance clubs once influenced people’s musical tastes, social media and entertainment are the new tastemakers as they introduce or resurrect music. This leads to songs released years ago hitting charts in a way they didn’t upon release.

Andrew Mall 2/14/20 Andrew Mall 2/14/20

Going Viral Helped Catapult Roddy Ricch and 'The Box' to No. 1 — But There's More to the Story

TIME (2020). It’s barely two months into 2020, but it’s already been a big year for rapper Roddy Ricch. The 21-year-old Compton artist has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 100 for the past five weeks with his viral earworm of a rap song, “The Box,” from his debut album Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, which is the longest-running No. 1 debut rap album to be on the Billboard 200 in nearly two decades since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2003.

Andrew Mall 11/19/19 Andrew Mall 11/19/19

'A Low-Key Bop.' How Dancing to the Home Depot Theme Song Became the Internet's Unlikely Obsession

TIME (2019). An unlikely yet catchy melody took the Internet by storm in recent weeks, bolstered by the looping, highly meme-able nature of TikTok, the social media platform that brokers in 15 second clips. The song? The humble Home Depot theme song, which, up until now was only prominently featured in commercials for home improvement, like installing tile or building a patio.