Harlem-born rapper A$AP Ferg , also known as FERG, said to me in an email that he has partnered with SoundOn , TikTok’s music distribution and marketing platform. The partnership was announced Friday, following the release of his new single, “Cycle.”

TikTok creators influence how audiences discover and engage with music. SoundOn’s partnership with FERG illustrates how creator communities can help artists reach new listeners and provide audience insights that inform marketing decisions and streaming strategies.

SoundOn had previously worked with FERG’s team at 11AM Co , an artist management agency. Charles “CB” Burks III, an A&R representative at SoundOn, said to me in an email that the existing relationship laid the groundwork for the partnership. The company also saw potential for the song to reach fitness and sports audiences, although Burks said no single audience metric drove the decision.

To reach new listeners, SoundOn is working with TikTok creators to encourage users to make their own videos. The company also worked with CapCut’s U.S. team on a custom video template, giving audiences another way to engage with the release.

A 2025 TikTok-commissioned report by Luminate found that artists whose TikTok engagement correlated with streaming averaged 11% weekly streaming growth, compared with 3% for other artists studied.

SoundOn uses video-level data to identify which content drives audience action and inform marketing decisions. “These insights guide which creator communities and creative formats we will focus on,” Shilpa Sadagopan, SoundOn’s director of music marketing and automation, said to me in an email.

With more than 5.1 million followers across Instagram and TikTok , FERG said fans were already showing interest in his music through TikTok posts before its official release. “Social media has made the relationship with the audience much more immediate and collaborative,” he said to me in an email.

Audience feedback on lyrics, visuals and performances helps FERG and his team make marketing decisions without letting social media determine their creative direction.

SoundOn tracks how TikTok videos influence fan engagement and streaming activity. FERG said to me in an email that his experience taking cycling classes at AARMY inspired “Cycle.” He has since used footage from in-person cycling classes to promote the release on TikTok, connecting the song’s origins with its marketing campaign.

FERG rose to prominence with A$AP Mob before releasing his debut album, Trap Lord, in 2013. He has since earned two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, while “Plain Jane” reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

SoundOn began its TikTok campaign with fitness creators and music curators before expanding to dance, fashion and sports creators. The rollout gives “Cycle” opportunities to reach audiences outside FERG’s existing fan base, with each community introducing the song in a different context.

A fitness creator might use the track in a workout video, while a fashion creator could feature it in a clothing edit. FERG uses TikTok’s collaborator feature to share posts with other creators, allowing the song to appear alongside content their followers already watch.

For SoundOn, the broader test is how far a song can travel outside its original audience. As both distributor and marketing partner, the company can support the song’s discovery after its initial release.

Artists have used social media and live events to encourage fans to participate in music promotion. In 2024, Charli XCX used a Brooklyn wall for Brat updates and livestreams. According to Forbes contributor Olivia Shalhoup , the campaign built on an established fan community, an approach that parallels SoundOn’s strategy with FERG. Billie Eilish similarly engaged fans through listening events ahead of her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft .

Brands outside music have used similar strategies. In August, Dr. Squatch partnered with streamer IShowSpeed on a $1 million competition involving social media, retail and in-person challenges. The campaign encouraged fans to engage with the brand through activities tied to Speed’s content.

Unlike the pre-release campaigns from Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, FERG’s partnership with SoundOn was announced after “Cycle” was released. The timing gives the company a chance to test how creator participation affects a song already available to stream.

The question is how much of that attention leads to lasting listening habits. For music distributors, the value of creator campaigns will depend on their ability to keep listeners engaged once the social media promotion ends.