Recently, I came across a fascinating article on Houshamadyan: A Song’s Journey
by Ara Dinkjian. In it, Ara traces the path of a melody—how it traveled across countries and cultures, transformed along the way, and eventually became part of the musical backdrop of Armenian-American life in the Catskills.

As I read, I couldn’t help but think about how songs continue to travel today—often in ways that musicians never intended. In particular, platforms like TikTok have become the new “stage” where millions of people hear music, sometimes without ever knowing who wrote or performed it.

For those of us who dedicate our lives to creating and preserving music, this is both exciting and frustrating. Exciting, because the reach is enormous: one short video can introduce a traditional Armenian tune—or any piece of music—to audiences all over the world. But frustrating, because the artists behind the music often don’t receive recognition or compensation.

TikTok recently introduced something called Songwriter Features, aimed at giving more visibility to creators. As the platform states, this feature is designed to “highlight and give due credit on TikTok to the amazing work of songwriters and the music they have created.” It goes on to note that “songwriters’ musical works and their shared content will sit side-by-side in one place on TikTok for the first time,” allowing artists to “share stories about their work, their music and their lives.”

On paper, that sounds promising. But in reality, it’s still a closed beta available only to a handful of publishing partners and selected songwriters—and notably, not accessible to most independent artists, especially those in niche or diasporic musical traditions like ours.

Currently, I don’t know a single musician who is receiving royalties when their recordings are used in TikTok videos. Think about that: a song might be the emotional heart of a viral clip, but the creator of that music sees nothing. It’s as if the melody has become background wallpaper—present, powerful, but invisible.

History shows us that songs endure because they connect us to culture, memory, and identity. The Catskill Armenian community valued those melodies enough to sing them, play them, and pass them on. Shouldn’t our modern platforms do the same by ensuring artists are credited and paid fairly when their work fuels online creativity?

As an Armenian-American musician, I’ve seen firsthand how music carries stories across generations. I believe TikTok and other platforms need to respect that journey by giving credit where it’s due—and by sharing revenue with the musicians who make the soundtrack of our lives.

After all, without the music, the videos wouldn’t have the same power. Isn’t it time we honored the artists behind the sound?