Meet the Team Making Latin American Music Go Global

As the fastest growing music market in the world, Latin America is an incredible place for the TikTok community to thrive and create new global trends. With a rich variety of genres that speak to different emotions and slices of life, music represents the heart of Latin American culture, and our local team is passionate about sharing it with the rest of the world.

Enter TikTok's Music Team in Latin America, who make local music go global! We recently spoke with three key team members -- Rob Ruiz, Cristina De Uriarte, and Judith Gómez Machado -- to learn more about their experience at TikTok and how their projects are shaping the future of the music industry on both a local and global scale.

Do you have a background in music? Why did you choose to join TikTok?

Rob: "My background was more as an artist. I grew up in a family that loved music and I started playing in bands when I was 11 years old. For many years I only wanted to be a performing artist, but I eventually realized that my other strengths (connecting with people in the industry, creating relationships, and so on) would serve me well on the executive side, so I gained experience at several media and music groups helping digital artists monetize their music. Having seen the industry move from MTV to YouTube, I was excited to join TikTok as the next major platform for music creation and discovery."

Cristina: "Like Rob, I grew up with music as an important part of my household. I studied music theory and philosophy in school before moving into roles related to content consulting and partnerships, so coming to TikTok allowed me to explore exactly what I find fascinating -- the rapid transformation of the music industry through the internet. Since joining TikTok in 2019 (when our office opened in Mexico), I haven't looked back!"

Judith: "Before joining TikTok in Brazil a year ago, I worked at a major music entertainment company in Argentina. As a long-time music enthusiast who ran a music website and used to assist shows every week, I was struck by how much TikTok was disrupting the industry and changing how people discovered talent and music. Using the app, I loved that there was a sense of community and that you could express yourself freely. I wanted to get more involved and learn how to help music artists and partners develop their careers through TikTok!"

How does the Music Team contribute to the growth of TikTok?

Judith: "Music is a key part of the TikTok community, not only in terms of allowing new music to be discovered, but also in terms of engagement and user experience. As the Music Team, we onboard and educate music partners about what's going on in app and help them strategize how to use the platform to meet their goals. Building and managing relationships with labels and partners is something we dedicate time to each day.

In app, we identify which music trends have the potential to go viral and come up with interactive campaigns that can tap into the creativity of creators and maximize community engagement. For Latinos, music has a nostalgic element, so some of the most popular campaigns we've worked on actually feature songs from 10-20 years ago! This really shows how important cultural references are to the Latin American community on TikTok."

Rob: "Music is present across all content verticals on TikTok, so it's core to the experience. Latin America is also the fastest growing market for music worldwide (with Mexico City being the place in the world where the most music is consumed), so music is an integral part of TikTok's growth in the region. As a team, we work to create new opportunities for music to be discovered, and to provide artists and partners with innovative tools to share their music. Our goal is to make TikTok the best spot for artists to share their voice and creativity."

What has been the Music Team's most memorable project so far?

Judith: "It's been exciting to bring onto TikTok some iconic music artists like Juan Luis Guerra, who has a major influence in Latin America and around the world. Working with him directly, we ran a campaign that associated Guerra's music with a TikTok sticker, and there were over 25,000 creations in less than a week! It was also meaningful to run a campaign on TikTok to honor and remember the late Colombian artist Diómedes Díaz. The incredible reaction to his work has made it clear that TikTok is a place for everyone."

Cristina: "Although we've led larger projects (like Rauw Alejandro's LIVE performance for our first music festival in Latin America), there's one project that was most rewarding for me personally. At the start of the pandemic, we started doing livestream marathons to raise people's spirits at home during a challenging time. The response from the community was incredible, and we managed to get artists like J Balvin, Sebastian Yatra, Danna Paola, and Natanael Cano to participate and make a real positive impact."

What is Latin American "music culture," and how does your team take it global?

Rob: "In Latin America, we have a variety of local genres (Regional Mexicano, Cumbia, Salsa, and more), but we also enjoy music from other countries. In fact, most global superstars have their strongest fan base in Latin America, so building an audience here can have a huge catapult effect for artists to reach Asia and other markets. This makes our local TikTok community the ideal environment for emerging artists to get started and for global trends to be born.

Because each market is different, in order to make local music go global, we work with teams in other regions to create localized campaigns for Latin American creators to share their music and expand their audience. Of course, we offer similar support for creators in other regions to launch their own campaigns in Latin America. This global collaboration is a major part of working on the Music Team."

You're hiring! Who are you looking for to join the team?

Rob: "The Music Team is fast-paced and collaborative -- all our major projects are a team effort -- so we're looking for people who not only love music, but also bring a scrappy and humble approach to work! Our team members come from many different cultures and backgrounds, so it's also important to understand and appreciate how these differences make us better. As for the app itself, you should be able to identify how music is placed within the platform, the creative tools we use for promotion, and the gaps we can potentially fill with new ideas."

Cristina: "One of the most amazing things at TikTok is that everyone will jump in to support a creative idea, so you can't be afraid of thinking outside the box and pushing boundaries. For example, some of our most impactful projects -- like the end of the year concert with J Quiles and León Leiden -- were put together on short notice with a number of new features we'd never tried before."

Judith: "First, since we work directly with artists, labels, and partners, the ability to build relationships is crucial. Second, while our team is small, we rely on our diversity, drive, and resourcefulness to make a global impact. If you're self-driven and motivated by a love of Latin American music and culture, you should definitely apply!"

By introducing some of the most talented Latin American artists to a global audience, our Music Team in Latin America is changing the landscape of the music industry. If you're excited to join Rob, Cristina, and Judith on our Music Team, make sure to browse openings on our jobs page and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates!