With nearly 90% of both generation Xers and millenials actively creating content, TikTok is one of the easiest ways to determine what's going to be trending next - and what seems to be on the horizon right now is old music.

In a November article, Rolling Stone published an article detailing the many different ways older songs had made comebacks - from Fleetwood Mac to Stevie Nicks, to even more recent artists like Simple Plan and Aly and AJ.

Related: Here’s How Shakira Is Using Geometry In Her Latest Music Video

Companies like BMG and Universal Music Publishing Group are taking notice of this trend, buying entire song catalogs from bands like Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, and many others. All of these artists recently had songs in viral TikToks, and streaming of songs by these artists are now suddenly trending up on apps like Spotify and Pandora.

When a video gets posted on a social media platform, and especially if the video goes viral, people who've seen the video might stop by places like Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, etc. to look up that artist or song. The song streams each time someone clicks on it and the owner of the song makes money via royalties. The companies buying up these catalogs are in a position to make substantial amount of money.

According to Rolling Stone, "in the early weeks of Covid-19 quarantine, Simple Plan’s “I’m Just a Kid” suddenly powered its way to a platinum certification, 15 years after its debut when it was used in a huge TikTok Trend." The number of streams necessary to accomplish that translates to a significant amount of money - say nothing for the money they stand to make from streams on other songs due to new people discovering other music they like by that artist.

This doesn't only mean great things for catalog owners, though: It also means that music that once popular music may get a new lease on life thanks to content creators, and that could mean more cross-generational music communities, as well as new fans for older artists - sounds like a win-win-win.

Next: How Many Times Has Led Zeppelin Been Sued For Ripping Off Other Songs?