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Kai Xiang Teo and Dan Whateley
2023-08-14T19:58:09Z
- TikTok Music sets itself apart from Spotify with a greater emphasis on social listening.
- It's user-friendly, but the "For You" feature at its core generated more misses for us than hits.
- The app launched in Singapore on July 19. A US release date has not yet been announced.
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TikTok has become a force in the music industry, driving new hits through video trends and pushing old tracksto the top of the song charts. Now, it's using that influence to kick-start its own music-streaming app, TikTok Music.
The company's new app is currently only available to users in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, and Singapore.
Insider signed up for an early look at the Singapore version that's being tested in a closed beta.
After spending hours exploring the platform, we found TikTok has leaned heavily into some of the same features that made its video app popular.
Like TikTok's interface, TikTok Music includes a "For You" feed of recommended content. It also incorporates social features, such as the ability to comment on songs and react to what other users are saying. This sets it apart from leading streamers like Spotify and Apple Music, which have limited in-app social features.
"We find in our consumer surveys that younger consumers are more interested in having a more social streaming experience," Tatiana Cirisano, a music-industry analyst and consultant at the research firm MIDiA Research, told Insider. "Spotify is starting to offer more things in that vein, but I just see it as an opportunity that's ripe for TikTok's taking."
TikTok may also be uniquely positioned to capture younger users as they start to enter the marketplace.
"If they've grown up with TikTok before they are actually spending money on any subscriptions, and then TikTok Music is out there, that could be pretty scary for Spotify and some of these other players if they're thinking about the next generation," Cirisano said.
It's still very early days for TikTok Music, and its rivals have a big headstart — Apple Music and Spotify are each in more than 100 countries.
But other relative newcomers like YouTube Music have shown there's room to break into music streaming, particularly for platforms that can leverage another popular app to drive sign-ups. YouTube reached 73 million music subscriptions in Q4 2022, up from 23 million three years earlier, per data compiled by MIDiA.
TikTok has not yet said when TikTok Music will roll out to other countries including the US. A spokesperson told Insider in July it will have "more news to share" on that front in the coming months.
In our tour of the app in Singapore, we found TikTok Music stood out from its peers with unique social features and a Shazam-style song identifier.
Yet, we felt TikTok Music's "For You" song recommendations in its discovery feed missed the mark — a surprising deficiency given its sister app is known for having an industry-leading content-recommendation algorithm — although the music app did excel at making song mixes.
TikTok Music requires users to sign up for a subscription — and having a TikTok account is not optional
Immediately upon launch, the app prompts users to sign in via TikTok. We were required to have an account on the short-form video app to even use TikTok Music.
Breaking away from Spotify and other platforms that offer both free ad-supported and paid options, TikTok Music is subscription-only. In Singapore, where users are getting a three-month free trial as part of its current closed beta program — there is no option for a free tier that comes with advertising.
That could be because TikTok's parent company ByteDance has struggled to convert free users to paying customers in the past. It tested a free tier in its other music-streaming app, Resso, and very few users paid for the app, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Once we finished logging into TikTok Music, the app showed a list of recommended artists to follow based on the TikTok account.
The app's 'For You' page looks straight out of TikTok
Right from the start, it's clear that TikTok Music takes inspiration from its sister app and emphasizes music discovery.
The first thing we saw after signing up was the app's "For You" feed.
Anyone familiar with TikTok will feel right at home with the vertical, algorithm-driven feed — simply scroll to see what's next.
In the span of a minute, Insider scrolled through an odd mix of songs ranging from the Russian version of "Holding Out For A Hero" from the "Tetris" movie soundtrack to the parody song "Wet Diaper (Goo Goo Gah Gah)" from Showtime's "Ziwe."
Despite scrolling for hours, it never quite felt like the algorithm achieved the same addictive, mindless, and time-consuming groove that the TikTok app does. Perhaps an endless vertical scroll just isn'tsuited to music.
The algorithm is as opaque here as it is on TikTok, but there are noteworthy changes
TikTok offers the ability to choose between "Fresh" or "Familiar" music on the For You page. This adjusts the user experience to allow for discovering new songs versus hearing more familiar tracks.
However, that's really the only form of control a user has over the app's algorithm, as they can't control other factors like genre or mood. Users need to make their own playlists or request a "similar mix" from a particular song in order to guarantee they'll hear certain types of music.
The app has a dedicated history page that makes it easy to keep track of songs while jumping between playlists. It also has a built-in music identifier that can recognize songs playing around a user. The feature basically renders Apple-owned Shazam obsolete if this is your primary music app.
TikTok Music also has a useful trick for social gatherings, offering a party mode that allows you to pump up the volume even higher and to use your phone's flashlight function as a strobe light.
TikTok puts a greater emphasis on social listening than other streaming apps we've used
TikTok Music features a comments section for every song, reminiscent of comments from the main TikTok app. Unlike other streaming apps, the comments don't seem like an afterthought — top comments are featured alongside a song's cover art.
So far, we found that only the most popular of songs on the app had active comment pages, but it's easy to see how drastically the app differs from other music streamers with its emphasis on social listening.
The app also provides an built-in translation feature for comments, which is useful considering TikTok Music's diverse global audience.
It also sets itself apart from Spotify by offering a richly detailed interface for song sharing, letting users choose and customize various visual styles before sending songs privately or posting to other social media platforms.
The app's music selections are heavily influenced by TikTok users
The app's heavy TikTok influence is instantly apparent here, coloring not just its design, but also the music it serves up. The "Discover" page is filled with rows of playlists based on what's currently popular on TikTok, alongside other playlists.
TikTok has also started showing users popular songs on its main video app, recently testing a new feature that reveals "Hot 50" and "Viral" music charts to some users.
Beyond that, the usual fare of curated and automatically generated playlists fill TikTok Music's Discover page.
TikTok's core interface might look familiar to Spotify or Apple Music users, but its music mixes stand out
Those familiar with Spotify or Apple Music won't raise an eyebrow at much of TikTok Music's interface. Even its artist pages look straight out of Spotify.
One big difference though is how much more specific the app's targeted recommendations felt. You can start a "similar mix" for a particular song, and the results absolutely blow Spotify and Apple Music out of the water.
We were genuinely impressed that TikTok Music's similar mix of Illenium's "With All My Heart" made a playlist of EDM-infused songs about life after or in love, which were so lyrically similar they might as well have all been written by Christina Perri.
Ditto for being able to create a playlist of extremely emo instrumental synth rock with a song from the progressive-rock group Archive.
Importing your music from Spotify or Apple Music could cost extra
For all its charm, TikTok Music has one big obstacle. The process of importing music from your listening app of choice takes you to a third-party platform, TuneMyMusic. Here, you are limited to importing 500 songs unless you're willing to shell out for a premium subscription to TuneMyMusic, which costs $4.50 a month.
As listeners who have way more than 500 songs saved across dozens of playlists, we were frustated by having to choose between paying or starting anew.
Read next
FAQs
Why TikTok is ruining the music industry? ›
TikTok's algorithm incentivizes the creation of songs that are short and can be attached to a viral trend. This means that artists are more likely to compromise their creative talents by making songs that are catchy, but not musically significant.
How much does TikTok pay musicians? ›Therefore, according to the most recent data available, TikTok pays three cents for each new video in which your song is played. It would take 1,000 videos featuring your music for you to make $30.
Is TikTok a good platform for musicians? ›Since TikTok launched in 2016 it has become one of the most popular social media platforms for musicians to promote their music. Musicians can reach an audience of over a billion users all in one place. Artists can showcase unreleased music to get ahead on their marketing strategy.
Is TikTok taking away music? ›As per Bloomberg: “TikTok is limiting the number of songs that users can post on its app, an experiment to assess how much they value music in their videos. Content creators won't be able to use certain songs, the company said in a statement.”
How is TikTok changing the future of the music industry? ›TikTok's Impact on the Music Industry
TikTok has had a significant impact on the music industry as a whole. The app has become a crucial tool for discovering new music and breaking new artists. Many record labels and industry professionals monitor TikTok to identify new trends and emerging artists.
TikTok has helped boost music streaming numbers, and record company revenue, to new heights. Midia Research estimates 414.4 million people were subscribed to a music streaming service in 2020, growing to 523.9 million in 2021, and 616.2 million in 2022.
How much does TikTok pay you for 1 million views? ›The answer is quite simple: The TikTok Creator Fund typically pays between $20 and $40 for one million views. TikTok's massive user base and its ability to make content go viral have made it a go-to platform for aspiring content creators looking for both fame and financial opportunities.
Do singers get royalties from TikTok? ›TikTok has deals in place with distributors and labels in order to license music for the app. Artists then receive royalties from having their music used on the platform. Distributors such as Distrokid, CD Baby and TuneCore allow artists to upload their music to TikTok along with streaming platforms such as Spotify.
How much does TikTok pay per 1,000 views? ›Luckily, a number of the program's top creators have publicized the amounts they've earned through the program. The consensus is that the TikTok Creator Fund pays between 2 and 4 cents for every 1,000 views, which adds up to only $20 to $40 dollars for a million views.
What musicians complain about TikTok? ›FKA twigs, Florence and the Machine, and Charli XCX have all posted complaints about the pressures they've received from their labels to post more.
Why is TikTok removing so many sounds? ›
It's being suggested that this 'test' is TikTok is looking to negotiate lower prices for music usage in their app, claiming music is not as crucial to the user experience on TikTok as music publishers suggest.
Does TikTok own my content? ›As a TikTok user, you are responsible for the content you post. If you have questions about copyright law or trademark law, such as questions about whether your content or your use of another person's name or brand infringes or otherwise violates another person's rights, you may want to contact an attorney.
Can someone post a video of me without my permission on TikTok? ›Legally, there is little to be done in such a scenario unless the images are defamatory. However, privacy laws dictate that photographers and videographers can be sued for posting images without consent. A lawsuit is a last resort; whoever posted the image or video would usually be asked to remove it first.
Has TikTok ruined attention span? ›In fact, nearly 50% of users surveyed by TikTok said that videos longer than a minute long were “stressful”. The truth is that our attention spans are shrinking – so much so that the effect of short-form media on our cognitive functions has been given a name: TikTok Brain.
Does TikTok own your music? ›As we mentioned, this is because TikTok has a Copyright Licence Agreement or IP Licensing Agreement with labels and artists to use their music on the platform. This just means that the artist gives TikTok permission to use their IP in return for royalties, but this is subject to the terms set out in that agreement.
Why don't songs have bridges anymore? ›Many artists are looking for that one catchy hook that will get people's attention and keep them coming back for more. In this fast-paced environment, the bridge, which often takes more time to develop and can feel like a departure from the main melody, may be seen as an unnecessary obstacle to achieving that goal.
Why do so many tik toks use the same music? ›And creators rely heavily on the shortcut of using these snippets. That's why, when you open the app and begin scrolling through For You, you'll often hear the same song reused again and again. “Laxed (Siren Beat)” was the first viral earworm to torture me, but not the last.