The Echo Vol. 6 - Dance videos are still in

WHAT’S GOOD?

We hope your week has been full of awesome wins. Let’s get to this week’s Echo, that’ll hopefully help you get some more :)

GLOBAL TIKTOK TREND (SOUND) OF THE WEEK

LOCAL TIKTOK TREND (SOUND) OF THE WEEK
US & Canada

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOCIAL MEDIA:
YouTube launches Peak Points (AI-powered ads)

YouTube just announced its new Peak Points ad feature. This Gemini AI-powered tool lets advertisers target ads to viewers at the moments when they’re most engaged with a video. Instead of random ad breaks, Peak Points analyzes video frames and transcripts to find high-impact and emotionally charged moments, like a dramatic reveal or a big drop in a music video, and then serves an ad right after, when attention is at its peak.

Why this matters for music marketing

Whether it’s a new single, album pre-save, or tour announcement, Peak Points ads can hit fans right when they’re most tuned in. Imagine running a campaign for a new track and having your ad show up right after a viral performance moment or a major plot twist in a trending video. The AI-driven timing can boost ad recall, click-throughs, and, ultimately, conversions for artists and labels.

For creators, this could also mean better monetization, since ads are more likely to be seen and acted on when placed at these peak moments.

DATA | THE WORLD OF MUSIC QUANTIFIED

Spotify’s weekly global top 5 songs

— #1. Ordinary | Alex Warren // 40,3 m weekly streams

— #2. Die with a smile | Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars // 38,4 m weekly streams

— #3. Birds of a Feather | Billie Eilish // 34,6 m weekly streams

— #4. APT. | Rosé & Bruno Mars // 28 m weekly streams

— #5. DtMF | Bad Bunny // 27,3 m weekly streams

Spotify’s weekly global top 10 artists

— #1. Bad Bunny // Latin trap

— #2. Taylor Swift // Pop

— #3. The Weeknd // Alternative R&B 

— #4. Drake // Pop

— #5. Fuerza Regida // Varied // Regional Mexican

— #6. Billie Eilish // Alternative pop

— #7. Lady Gaga // Pop 

— #8. Kendrick Lamar // Hip hop

— #9. Ariana Grande // Pop

— #10. Arijit Singh // Indian playback singer

TIKTOK VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
Two bunnies playing

Views: 237,800,000 | Likes: 41,200,000

Last week it was wholesome. That’s the same this week, but it’s even cuter now.

Here’s a TikTok from a completely unknown account that’s gone crazy in just a week. Here’s why:

— #1. Instant cuteness is overwhelming, which captures your attention (creating a hook). It also makes you see the video many times, since you want to experience the cuteness over and over again

— #2. You want to see what happens, because the bunnies are playing very unpredictably

— #3. No caption, which makes you look for what’s actually going on in the video

— #4. Huge shareability, as people often share cute animal clips, especially when they’re of this level

— #5. Very fitting song that makes the video calm and enjoyable to watch while also amplifying the cute vibe

We also think it’s worth mentioning that there are many not so great things about this clip (like the windows reflecting and angle + lighting perhaps not being ideal). But this adds to the genuineness and non-staged feeling of the video.

MUSIC EVENT OF THE WEEK:
Boston Calling Music Festival

Boston Calling 2025 is one of the biggest music festivals in the US, happening May 23-25 at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Boston. Over three days, fans will get to see some pretty impressive headliners like Luke Combs, Charli XCX, and Travis Scott take the stage, along with a stacked lineup of artists from across a whole range of genres.

With multiple stages, art installations, and surprise pop-ups, Boston Calling is set to be a massive thing on social media, with highlights and special performances probably taking the top spots.

TIP OF THE WEEK
How to hook viewers in the first 3 secs of a short-form video

Hooking viewers in the first 3 seconds might be the single most important part of making short-form content. Why? Because if you don’t grab their attention instantly, they’ll scroll. It doesn’t matter how good the rest of the video is — those first few seconds are everything.

How to get it right

— #1. Start with movement or a bold visual — A quick camera push, a gesture, or a close-up of something interesting, whatever it is motion gets people’s attention. Completely still shots often feel kind of “dead” in the feed

— #2. Say something unexpected or emotionally charged — Open with a line that surprises people, makes them laugh, or feels relatable in some way. For example: “This song ruined my entire week — but in the best way.” That kind of line buys you that extra bit of watch time

— #3. On-screen text needs strategy — Adding a short, punchy headline in the first second can give context or tease the payoff, making viewers stick around. Think: “This beat goes from 0 to 100 in 5 seconds” or “POV: You’re hearing this lyric for the first time”

— #4. Cut to the action, skip the fluff — Don’t start with “Hey guys…” or a long setup. Just jump straight into what matters. Assume you only have 1 second to prove this is worth watching

— #5. Use sound cues to your advantage — A strong beat drop, vocal snippet, or unusual sound in the first second can do a lot of heavy lifting for you. Pair it with something visual and boom, you’ve got yourself an awesome hook

PARASITION: Campaign breakdown

ROUND-UP 

— TikTok is remix-heaven

— Songs’ viral curves go up and down, and just because the song isn’t new doesn’t mean it can’t go viral again

— Popular sounds often suit the seasons (think energetic and happy for summer, calm and cozy for winter)

— Cute videos often blow up (duh), since people love it and share it

— YouTube’s new Peak Points is an AI-powered ad feature that’s bound to make advertising more effective on the platform

— When doing short-form content, you need to instantly capture people’s attention. Do this by nailing the hook

Hope this week’s Echo helped you in some way :)

Are you in music marketing? And are you someone who wants to take your songs to the next level? Reach out to us at Parasition and let’s make your tracks more viral than ever, together 🕺🚀

// The Echo Team