TikTok has long touted the app as a place to discover new music — and its ability to propel songs into viral hits.
Now TikTok is hoping to derive incremental revenue from music fans who use the app. The company’s new Add to Music App feature lets users save songs from TikTok to third-party music streaming services. Initially, TikTok’s Add to Music App is launching for users in the U.S. and U.K. in partnership with Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. TikTok said it will roll out the feature in more markets in the coming months.
Terms of TikTok’s agreements with the digital streaming platforms (DSPs) aren’t being disclosed; a source familiar with the situation said no money is changing hands. The ability to add a song from TikTok to Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music is aimed at increasing the utility of TikTok for music listeners, of course. Beyond that, though, TikTok sees the potential to monetize integration with DSPs through its SoundOn music marketing and distribution program for artists.
The feature is separate from TikTok Music, a premium music-streaming service and app that is currently available to users in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Singapore. The company does not have plans at this point to launch TikTok Music in the U.S.
The Add to Music App feature appears as a button that says “Add Song” next to a track name at the bottom of a TikTok video in the For You feed. The first time a user presses the “Add Song” button, they select their preferred music streaming service.
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The track will then be saved to a default playlist in either Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music, or users can choose to add the track to a new playlist or an existing playlist. In addition, TikTok users can use the Add to Music App feature from an artist’s Sound Detail page.
“TikTok is already the world’s most powerful platform for music discovery and promotion, which helps artists connect with our global community to drive engagement with their music,” said Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, in a statement.
The Add to Music App feature “takes this process a step further, creating a direct link between discovery on TikTok and consumption on a music streaming service, making it easier than ever for music fans to enjoy the full-length song on the music streaming service of their choice, thereby generating even greater value for artists and rightsholders.”
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