Ed Sheeran has set a new record for the most-watched live music performance on the viral short-form video app TikTok.

The record-breaking live stream took place last Friday (25 June) at Sheeran’s home football ground of Portman Road, Ipswich Town, UK, as part of TikTok’s partnership with UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations) during the Euro 2020 tournament.

More than 5.5 million unique viewers tuned in to the singer’s hour-long TikTok live stream (dubbed the TikTok UEFA EURO 2020 Show) and the two replays the following day.

According to the platform, the show was the biggest-ever live music performance on TikTok, surpassing the 4 million people who tuned in for Justin Bieber’s Valentine’s Day TikTok live stream in February.

“The bar for what is possible within the livestreaming format has been creatively raised”

The spectator-free show, directed by Emil Nava and Hamish Hamilton, incorporated special effects, augmented reality and prominent TikTok stars. It also marked the live premiere of Sheeran’s new single ‘Bad Habits’.

“The TikTok UEFA 2020 Show was an incredible moment for our community around the world and a turning point for live music streaming,” says Paul Hourican, head of music operations UK TikTok. “The bar for what is possible within the livestreaming format has been creatively raised and it has been shown how big and ambitious TikTok can be for artists.”

Ed Howard, co-president of Sheeran’s record label, Atlantic Records, added: “For Ed, Grumpy Old Management and Atlantic, uniting and reaching their global fan base was imperative for the launch of their new campaign, as well as our close partnership with Paul and the entire TikTok team enabled us to achieve this goal in a uniquely creative way.”

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Promoter AEG Presents is one of a quartet of big music-biz names lending their support to Emerge, a new US talent contest launched by Atlantic Records and label services company Artist Partner Group (APG).

AEG joins Spotify, management company Deckstar (Culture Club, Blink-182, Steve Aoki) and digital agency Deutsch in an “unprecedented effort to find young artists with star potential, wherever they exist across the continent”. Entries are open to people aged between 13 and 19 who are residents of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec), with the winning artist(s) given a recording contract after being selected Atlantic’s A&Rs.

Atlantic/APG say the social-media driven search, which is looking for “exceptional teen pop/R&B talent”, is the first time a “music company, live concert organisation, management company, marketing agency and digital music service have joined forces to both discover and provide world-class opportunities to emerging talent”.

It follows the launch last month of a new joint venture between German promoter FKP Scorpio and a number of management companies, which is similarly focused on breaking new artists in Europe.

“Emerge is all about breaking the barrier to entry for outstanding young artists,” says Artist Partner Group founder and CEO Mike Caren (pictured).

“Getting heard in this business shouldn’t be about who you know, but who you are as an artist”

“Getting heard in this business shouldn’t be about who you know, but who you are as an artist. This campaign isn’t about industry relationships or market research, but about creating a new channel from performer to label, combined with the expertise of our friends at AEG Presents, Deckstar, Deutsch and Spotify.

“We’re all looking forward to uncovering amazing talent in unexpected places, and creating once-in-a-lifetime shots at superstardom.”

“We’re super excited to partner with all of these amazing companies that together embrace all aspects of an artist’s career,” add Atlantic Records’ chairman and COO, Julie Greenwald, and chairman and CEO, Craig Kallman, in a joint statement. “This is a talent search for the digital age, designed to find distinctive voices with huge potential.”

Complete details of the contest and instructions on how to enter can be found at www.atlanticrecords.com/emerge.

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