TikTok Music is the new streaming service competing with Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music. The platform launches amidst a price hike for all Spotify subscriptions, which is causing a lot of excitement among consumers.
After months of speculation, the short-form video giant’s parent company, ByteDance, has launched its new standalone streaming music service called TikTok Music.
Over the past few years, TikTok has positioned itself as the world’s fastest-growing and most popular short-form video social network to date, but its new intention is to dominate the music industry, as announced on 6 July. At a press conference, the Chinese company revealed its plans to launch a new music streaming service, something that has caught the attention of experts due to the oversaturation of the market.
Find out all about this new music service and why it wants to be number one!
Table of Contents
What is TikTok Music?
TikTok Music is a new music streaming service, currently in beta, that will compete with popular apps such as Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. According to the information provided in the FAQ section, TikTok will allow users to enjoy the music they love the most while discovering new and emerging artists.
In this new service, you can explore your favorite music genres, along with a community that will help you express yourself and connect with other music fans. Although this is a standalone app, you will be able to link your existing TikTok account to make it easier to play and download music directly from the leading social video-sharing network.
According to Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, the app is an innovative service that combines world-class streaming with the power of music discovery that TikTok is known for. Obermann also noted that TikTok Music is designed to engage users, which is why the app not only features an extensive library of songs, artists, and albums like its competitors but also offers an immersive, connected music experience.
One of the most striking benefits of this new streaming service is that you can automatically import your favorite tracks from TikTok, so you can listen to them instantly, without searching and without distraction. You can even listen to the famous remixes that are constantly going viral, a feature that is very difficult to find in other similar services such as Spotify or Apple Music.
On the other hand, TikTok Music will have the same built-in discovery algorithm as the main app, which will help you find new music and new artists you might like. You will also be able to share with other fans so you can enjoy what you are most passionate about together.
TikTok Music: How does it work?
TikTok’s new premium streaming service will seamlessly integrate with users’ existing profiles in the main app, allowing them to listen to, save, share, and download the music they discover in the app. Once both accounts are synchronized, users can switch from watching videos to selecting personalized playlists.
The app is easy to use, with a similar navigation system to TikTok: tap the screen to play/pause or swipe up/down to go back or forward to the next track. The interface design also has features similar to Spotify or Apple Music, such as suggestions based on the genres the user has listened to most.
Yet TikTok Music offers an innovative approach that sets it apart from other options on the market. The introduction of these unique features gives this service great potential to grow rapidly. It not only offers music but also intelligently connects TikTok’s most popular features with the new music service.
In a single application, TikTok Music users will benefit from the following tools and features:
- Music listening without ads
- Discovery algorithm that can suggest songs based on your musical preferences
- Listen to complete versions of popular songs trending on TikTok
- Collaborate on playlists with other users and interact with them
- Search for songs using lyrics snippets
- Download songs from the platform to listen offline
- Use real-time lyrics feature to sing privately in karaoke-style, and export videos directly to TikTok.
- A Song Catch tool with audio recognition, similar to the Shazam application, can identify songs.
- A ‘Like’ count to measure the popularity of a track.
- The ability to add comments on users’ favorite songs.
- The ability to interact, connect and follow other music lovers.
- The Song Catch tool keeps a history of recognized songs.
- Tracks can be imported from other streaming services or local storage.
After a TikTok Music account has been created, users will have access to an extensive music catalog featuring their favorite artists and more for them to explore. Among the variety, tracks made by TikTok’s viral song artists stand out.
In addition, the app offers two distinctive features not found in any other streaming service: These features are Artificial Intelligence and “My Party“.
TikTok Music provides an integrated Artificial Intelligence feature that enables users to customize sound effects for each song by adjusting elements such as the balance of vocals, bass amps, color animations, and other options, to achieve the best possible setting.
The “My Party” mode is a function that can animate any space with the rhythm of a party; causing the mobile device to vibrate, display colorful lights on the screen and turn on the camera flash to match the beat of the song being played.
Currently, the “My Party” mode is not available for all songs in the catalog. This is due to the application being in Beta, and some users may experience differences within the application. Furthermore, it is important to note that the service may experience stability issues or bugs from time to time.
Information about the TikTok Music launch
The Beta version of the TikTok Music service was launched on the 6th July in Brazil and Indonesia. This is because significant portions of TikTok’s user base is distributed across America and Asia, with an average user age under 35 years old. To encourage users, the platform offers a one-month free trial to all subscribers. During this period, users can explore all service offerings and interact with the extensive catalog of tracks.
As part of the staged launch, a private beta application was available for download in Mexico, Australia, and Singapore on 19th July, confirming TikTok Music’s focus on these territories. As the availability is limited, the service will be accessible to only the first 3,000 users who download the application. These users will be able to enjoy up to three months of service at no extra cost.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has confirmed the redesign of its music component with the launch of this new application. The music streaming service Resso will no longer be available in Indonesia and Brazil starting from 5th September. ByteDance launched this application in 2020, making it available only in the countries with the highest number of TikTok users. Users can effortlessly transfer all their stored information and preferences from Resso to the TikTok Music app with a single tap.
Given the massive database of active TikTok users globally, the company’s strategic shift towards offering a more comprehensive and integrated music experience for its users is apparent. Leveraging the vast user engagement on TikTok, ByteDance launched a platform that provides the broadest range of music, innovative features, full integration with the most popular social network of the moment and never-seen-before tools.
Target audience
TikTok Music is a streaming service primarily aimed at the youngest users of the application, but it is accessible to people of all ages with varied musical preferences. The platform announced that it is collaborating closely with leading record companies like Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, which will provide their entire music libraries for several years.
ByteDance executives assert that the integration of TikTok and TikTok Music will simplify the process of attracting young audiences as both services will operate through the same profile linked to the main social network. It is likely to function similarly to Meta’s Threads, an app separate from Instagram but linked to the same account.
The platform offers a wide range of songs; including the most popular and listened-to artists of today and classics, which are enjoyed by all users.
When will the platform be available worldwide?
Currently, TikTok Music is accessible in only a few countries, and the company plans to expand to more regions in the following weeks.
However, the parent company hasn’t commented on the global availability of the app. Two weeks ago, one of the executives informed Music Business Worldwide (MBW), a global news website for the music industry, that there is no information available to share regarding future expansion plans.
Does TikTok Music offer a free option?
Different from other platforms like Spotify or YouTube Music, TikTok Music does not provide any free usage options. However, the platform allows users to try the service for one month free of charge, although a subscription and billing details are required. Furthermore, users who use the application in its Beta version will receive a three-month trial period at no extra cost.
TikTok Music’s pricing and plans
It seems that TikTok Music’s fees will be similar to its competitors.
To use TikTok Music, you must buy one of the three available plans detailed below:
- Individual Plan: This plan provides ad-free music listening and unlimited music downloads and skips.
- Student Plan: This plan is exclusive to university students. This plan offers ad-free music listening and unlimited music downloads and skips.
- Family Plan: This plan is available for up to six accounts. The Family Plan includes ad-free music listening, unlimited music downloads, unlimited song skips, and explicit content blocking.
The rates for the Family Plan seem to vary depending on each country.
Download the TikTok Music application.
Currently, the TikTok Music application is in the beta stage. Therefore, only users who register on the platform will have early access. Users can use the application for free for three months, but the service will only be open to the first 3,000 followers who sign up for each territory where it is available. The streaming service promises to gradually include new regions and will be available globally in a few months.
To download the Beta version of TikTok Music, follow the links below if you are in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Australia or Singapore:
- iOS devices
- Android devices
- The official website for TikTok Music
The process is similar to registering for the TikTok app and takes a few minutes to complete. The free trial will give you unlimited access to the app, but you’ll need to enter your phone number and bank card details.
The charge will be made automatically at the end of the three-month trial period for users to enjoy the beta version, while standard users will receive the charge at the end of the first month of the trial.It’s worth noting that the app promises to inform the user when the charge will be made so that if you wish, you can cancel your subscription to the service in time.
Although the streaming service has yet to confirm an official worldwide launch date, you can pre-register within the platform. You will then receive an email notifying you when the app is available in your country.
ByteDance’s aim is to take advantage of TikTok’s impressive user base of 1.051 million active users to start building their own alternative music streaming service.
Indeed, TikTok Music has a good chance of success, as the link to the short video app will allow users to follow music trends that are often created on the main platform. In addition, the inclusion of multiple features in a single app makes TikTok Music a very attractive alternative, as it eliminates the need to download multiple apps to use certain tools.
All of this could put music apps such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, Tidal, YouTube Music or Apple Music at risk, as they will not be able to compete with TikTok’s user base and will lack the tools that the new proposal offers.
If ByteDance uses the same TikTok formula as TikTok Music, the streaming service could become a colossal phenomenon in no time. Stay tuned for more news on TikTok Music!
