Love it or hate it, you cannot deny TikTok’s influential growth in the past few years across all forms of media. Since Facebook’s dethroning, this Chinese-based social media platform has taken the world by storm and is the source of major trends in almost every aspect of our daily lives – most notably, in the world of music.
Because of TikTok’s massive user base, which was said to number in the billions just last year, the video platform has the capacity to turn emerging or defunct singers into viral stars with a whole new fan base. Which is why TikTok will soon be collaborating with music streaming services so you can save your new favourite music faster.
Spotify announced on 14th November that they are collaborating with TikTok by integrating a new feature. Now, whenever you hear a song you like, TikTok will offer you the option to “Add to Music app.” Afterwards, you will receive a prompt to “Add Song”, allowing you to seamlessly add the featured music to your personal playlists.
The first time you use the feature, you will first receive a prompt letting you choose which music service you prefer, because it’s not just Spotify that’s getting all the action. It has been confirmed that Apple Music and Amazon Music will also receive the same support, so you don’t have to jump to a different subscription service. But do take note that, for Amazon Music and Apple Music users, this feature is exclusive to their respective paying or premium customers, whereas Spotify will have this function live regardless of whether they are free users or not.
So far, the terms of this agreement aren’t being disclosed across all parties, with the main reason for this merger being to increase the utility of TikTok for music listeners. However, many speculate that TikTok might monetize this feature through its SoundOn music marketing and distribution programme.
This feature is distinct from TikTok Music, a premium music-streaming service and app that is currently only available in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Singapore. Though this variant of TikTok is not available to the US and the UK, they will be the first to receive the streaming service integration, with many countries to follow.
With this feature, we can expect more singers to gain traction faster than ever before, as it has been noted that TikTok has been the main reason why several artists, such as Benee, are becoming international superstars, performing at sold-out arena shows with their hit songs going platinum.
“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. Add to Music App 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,” said TikTok‘s global head of Music Business Development, Ole Obermann, in a statement about the launch.
Source: TikTok, Spotify, TechCrunch, Variety, CNBC, Wikimedia Commons
