🎵 TikTok’s taking over our ears, too?

Plus: Lollipop arbitrage, the NBA’s startup incubator, an unusual tango, and more. [View Online]( [The Hustle] An Italian villa that may have inspired Disney’s The Little Mermaid is on the market. The property has nine bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a wealth of sea-facing views, but the price is only available upon application. In today’s email: - Music: TikTok’s next big thing. - Chart: How lollipop arbitrage works. - The NBA: A startup incubator? - Around the web: TikTok animal facts, mentor tips, an unusual tango, and more cool internet finds. 🎧 On the go? [Listen to today’s 10-minute podcast]( to hear Juliet and Jacob discuss how the stars aligned perfectly for TikTok to take on Spotify. Plus: Tinder’s Metaverse plans, a $90m Batgirl dud, and more. The big idea [TikTok logo with musical notes]( TikTok’s grand plans to take over our ears Wanna ruin someone’s day? Send ‘em “Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch,” one of the more viral TikTok-era songs of late. A top comment on [the track]( is a request to “unrelease it.” It’s also now a trend to ironically [watch TV]( on your phone at concerts when it’s performed. But look at the numbers and the song’s a hit, and yet another reason why TikTok’s laser-focused on music as its next frontier. For the last couple years… … the trend for many has been to hear a song on TikTok, then listen to it on Spotify. TikTok is, in fact, that much better at discovery: [63% of users]( discover new music on TikTok before any other platform. As a result, TikTok finds itself in a position where it should probably just start hosting music itself. And it’s already starting Abroad, in India, Brazil, and Indonesia, TikTok operates an app called Resso, which is like a more social Spotify. Stateside, Insider recently [spotted]( a trademark filing for a “TikTok Music” app. Yesterday, TechCrunch [reported]( similar filings in the UK, Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, and Costa Rica. Interestingly, a trend [we’ve seen]( among social apps, eloquently dubbed “TikTokification,” is clearly happening in the audio space as well: - Just this week, Audacy bought Moonbeam, a TikTok-style podcast app whose CEO we [interviewed]( last year. - Last week, Snap [announced]( a fund for musicians who distribute sounds on Snapchat. - And Spotify, the big tuna who’s long-struggled with discovery, [is testing]( TikTok-style features. With all these wannabes, TikTok must have “Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch” stuck in its head. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=TikTok%E2%80%99s+grand+plans+to+take+over+our+ears%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08042022-TikTok-music%3Futm_campaign%3DTikTok%2Bmusic%26utm_content%3D08042022-TikTok-music%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS After the bell: Lucid Group shares dropped [~12%]( after the EV maker cut its production forecast from 12k-14k cars in 2022 to 6k-7k. Coming down: US gas prices have [dropped]( for 50 consecutive days, nearing an average of $4/gallon. The falling prices have been attributed to lessened demand due to slowing growth across the global economy. Breakups: Tinder [announced]( it will curtail its metaverse dating ambitions and ditch plans to offer an in-app currency called Tinder Coins. CEO Renate Nyborg also announced she will leave the position after less than a year in the role. Meta is reportedly testing a new livestreaming platform, called [Super](, where influencers can interact with followers and earn money. Uh, what? Warner Bros. decided to dump and [never release]( a nearly complete $90m Batgirl film, citing a strategic shift for the DC Universe and HBO Max. Fighting back: Eleven golfers who were suspended for joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit are filing an antitrust [lawsuit]( against the PGA Tour. The suit aims to loosen the PGA Tour’s rules to give players more flexibility around where they play. Oh, neat: [This Trends article]( covers four nifty NFT startup ideas across vending machines, student-athletes, subscriptions, and insurance. chart [lollipop arbitrage scheme]( Singdhi Sokpo The Dum Dum discount dilemma Dum Dums, the unofficial lollipop of pediatricians everywhere, are in a bit of a pickle. Spangler Candy Co., the 115-year-old family business that owns the brand, recently noticed Amazon listings for its lollipops at a [lower price]( than theirs, per Bloomberg. Spangler’s investigation… … revealed an Amazon arbitrage scheme that’s growing in popularity. - Sellers list a 400-pack of Dum Dums on Amazon for $25, $1 less than Spangler’s price. - When a customer makes an order, the seller orders a 500-pack from Sam’s Club for $15. - Sellers then drop-ship the pops to the customer directly from Sam’s Club, profiting ~$6 after fees. The predicament exposes the lax regulation of Amazon’s marketplace, and with Google searches for “Amazon dropshipping” up 50% YoY, it’s not just lollipops. Even with Sam’s Club’s discount, if you’re looking for the best deal on Dum Dums, it’s hard to beat the doctor’s office. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+Dum+Dum+discount+dilemma%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08042022-lollipop-arbitrage%3Futm_campaign%3DTikTok%2Bmusic%26utm_content%3D08042022-lollipop-arbitrage%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( LISTEN The best podcast ever? We got that Of all the pods you could plug into, this one is different. Trust us now and thank us later. It’s made just for you. Actually, by you. Understand? You will soon. [STOP & LISTEN →]( NBAccelerator [VR basketball]( Why’d the NBA launch a startup incubator? From wearables to VR, there’s a wide range of new tech that can help athletes step up their game. But unless they’re plugged in, players may not know about it. Enter [NBA Launchpad]( — a startup incubator investing in next-gen tech for the basketball community. What kind of tech? Not the three-point-shot-sinking [Japanese robot]( kind. Instead, Launchpad looks at startups in four areas: injury prevention, youth player performance, mental health, and referee training (yes, please). Here’s how it [works](: - Startups apply in one of those categories. - The NBA holds a “selection day” (think “Shark Tank,” but NBA). - Finalists run a six-month pilot with the NBA’s resources at their disposal. This year’s [finalists]( include an adaptive ankle brace, a VR training platform, and a breathwork app. The NBA’s goal… … is to eventually offer these products to players and refs to improve performance and quality of play. Some teams — ahem, the Knicks — may need them more than others. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Why%E2%80%99d+the+NBA+launch+a+startup+incubator%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08042022-NBA-startup-incubator%3Futm_campaign%3DTikTok%2Bmusic%26utm_content%3D08042022-NBA-startup-incubator%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB 🎵 On this day: In 2017, Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” became the [most-watched]( YouTube video of all time at 3B+ views, overtaking Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again.” Today, it’s… “Baby Shark Dance.” 🐊 That’s interesting: Mamadou Ndiaye, famous on TikTok for “ruining” animals, [explains]( the origin of his obsession with weird animal facts. 💃 Wow: Two dancers [tango]( to a song absolutely no one was expecting. 🧠How to: [Be a mentor]( to others without burning yourself out in the process. 🐠Aww: And now, a magnificent [fish](. Meme [TikTok music app meme] Gulp. (Source: [imgflip.com]() SHARE THE HUSTLE Hey. Stop keeping us a secret. Refer just 3 people and we’ll start to send some goodies as a thank you. [all prizes]( Spread the news. Help us grow 🌱 [Share The Hustle 🤠→]( Or copy this custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 How did you like today’s email? Today's email was brought to you by [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, [Rob Litterst](, and [Samir Javer](. Editing by: Mark “Wolf of Cream Soda Dum Dums” Dent. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( 25 FIRST ST. 2ND FLOOR, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141, UNITED STATES  +1 888 482 7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](list=thehustle). [The Hustle logo](