TikTok ventures into music streaming with their new service ‘TikTok Music’. As short videos and trends on the social media platform often incorporate music, it makes sense for the company to offer music streaming capabilities.
TikTok Music allows users to listen to full songs they discover on the main TikTok app. It also provides personalized recommendations and song lyrics. Unlike passive music apps, TikTok Music encourages social engagement through features like commenting. Users can also use a built-in Shazam-like tool to identify songs.
The app is designed to seamlessly integrate with TikTok, allowing users to easily share music discoveries. Additional features include collaborative playlists, library imports, and lyric searches.
While a separate app, TikTok Music connects to users’ TikTok accounts. This grants access to trends from the platform to fuel recommendations. Partnerships with major record labels provide a broad catalog.
Currently, in beta testing, TikTok Music is available in select markets like Brazil, Indonesia, and Australia. It aims to replace ByteDance’s existing Resso service in these regions. The company has not announced plans for other markets like the U.S. yet.
Pricing varies by region but runs around $7-8 monthly. Discounted student and family plans are also available. During the beta, TikTok Music offers a free three-month trial.
As a newer streaming service, TikTok Music faces competition from giants like Spotify and Apple Music. It may be able to lower prices, but will need to grow its catalog to over 100 million tracks to fully compete on library size. By leveraging TikTok trends and an integrated social experience, the company aims to carve a niche in the crowded music streaming industry.
