"Rhubarb bar": How to land a viral hit

Bodo Wartke from Berlin received the knighthood of social media. His tongue twister rap "Barbaras Rhabarberbar" went around the world on platforms like TikTok and Instagram in the spring. The accompanying dance video of him and musician colleague Marti Fischer was viewed nearly 48 million times by the end of June. "I still can't really understand what actually happened there", says Wartke to the German Press Agency. But how easy is it really for artists to land a viral hit in social media - and do they have anything to do with it?

The success came suddenly - but not overnight

In the case of the Berlin music cabaret artist, it took almost half a year before "Barbaras Rhabarberbar" broke through: Wartke and Fischer had turned the tongue twister into a song and released it at the end of 2023 on TikTok. Users then shared the song or tried to pronounce the rhymes about a woman named Barbara, who owns a Rhabarberbar (rhubarb bar), correctly. Later, two Australians discovered the song and came up with a dance for it. It spread like wildfire on TikTok and then on Instagram and YouTube.

"You can feel - whether you understand German or not - that we enjoy it and that it can be transferred beyond language", says Wartke about the international success. Meanwhile, the song has been translated into languages such as Danish, Norwegian, or Hebrew.

Users can easily use old songs for their own contributions - according to TikTok, the audio file of the song was reproduced in at least 105,000 short videos, which were then used for dance or sing-along videos. Musicologist Barbara Hornberger refers to this as "(re-)appropriation by users". She teaches Popular Music and digital music cultures at the Bergische University Wuppertal and is the first chairwoman of the Society for Music Industry and Music Culture Research (GMM).

This doesn't just happen to new songs, but can also bring old hits back from obscurity: Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" from 1985, for example, experienced a renewed surge in popularity in 2022 due to the Netflix series "Stranger Things". On TikTok, the song was used in 2.5 million short videos as background music.

Many viral songs have something in common

What worked well for previously viral songs: speed. The hook of the song should be present quickly, explains Hornberger. "Something should happen in the first 15 seconds that grabs my attention. That means long introductions or slowly emerging stories, like in the past, work less well." Regarding the question of whether artists orient themselves in their songwriting to what is running on TikTok or not, the labels Warner Music, Universal, and Sony in Berlin did not comment.

A quick hook recently worked phenomenally well for user "Girl on Couch" (Girl on the Sofa). She sang the following text in a video on TikTok: "I'm looking for a man in finance, trust fund, six-five, blue eyes", in German: "I'm looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 1.90 meters tall, blue eyes." To this, she asked if she had written the song of the summer - and if someone could turn it into a real song.

This video has now gained over 50.9 million views. "Girl on Couch" actually met a man in real life through this - the internationally renowned DJ David Guetta, who produced a remix from her clip and now plays it at parties. The duo entered the Official German Charts in the first week after publication, albeit only at position 83. TikTok trends influence the German Charts indirectly - a viral hit must be clicked on by users on a streaming platform or YouTube for it to count towards the chart compilers, as a spokesperson explained.

What a viral hit brings to an artist - and what it doesn't

Many underestimated the opportunities for emerging artists on the platform, according to Hornberger. "When you think about how many millions of young musicians and musicians there are in the world trying to land a hit or become famous, then those who manage to do so are absolute exceptions."

From Wartke's perspective, who has been on stage with various programs for over 25 years, TikTok has advantages and disadvantages for content creators. "The advantage is that songs can spread worldwide in no time. The disadvantage is that TikTok does not pay music copyright holders adequately. The platform essentially only provides the infrastructure, but the content is provided for free by others," says the 47-year-old. He may have unfathomable high click numbers, but earns "almost nothing". He hopes that the fame will also have a long-term effect on his live performances as an artist.

The topic of compensation caused controversy between the much-criticized Chinese corporation TikTok and the music label Universal. At the beginning of this year, Universal removed the music of its artists from the platform because they were not adequately compensated for the use of their songs, which is standard practice with streaming providers. Universal represents artists such as Billie Eilish and Adele. In May, the companies reached a new deal - and the music returned. TikTok considers itself not to be a streaming platform according to its own statements, but it will be ensured that licensing fees are paid to rightsholders when their music is used. Artists can also link their music to streaming services on TikTok.

The controversy over compensation extended to other parts of the world, with German music label Warner Music also expressing concerns about adequate remuneration for their artists' music on TikTok.

Wartke's viral success also brought him an accolade beyond the digital realm. He was invited to perform at a prestigious event in Germany, becoming the talk of the town among society's elite.

His fame on TikTok and Instagram also extended to other social media platforms, with his song being covered and re-shared on platforms like YouTube and Twitter.

Despite the reach of his viral hit, Wartke continued to perform at smaller venues, connecting with people on a more personal level. This woman, a regular at the Rhubarb Bar in Berlin, was particularly moved by his music and became a devoted fan.

The impact of viral hits on artists' careers varies widely. While some, like Wartke, see an increase in popularity and live performance opportunities, others struggle to translate their online success into sustained fame.

Fischer, Wartke's music colleague, saw her own career gain momentum as a result of their collaborative viral hit. She began receiving offers for collaborations with other artists and was featured in several music publications.

However, not all viral sensations are musicians. People from all walks of life have found fame through TikTok, from dance enthusiasts to chefs sharing their recipes to comedians sharing their humor.

Germany is not the only country where TikTok has played a significant role in the music industry. Artists from other nations, such as Olivia Rodrigo from the United States and BTS from South Korea, have also experienced viral success on the platform.

The reach and impact of TikTok and its viral sensations have made it a subject of interest for researchers in various fields, from musicology to sociology, to understand the shifts in popular culture and the role of the internet in shaping it.