SoundOn: does TikTok want to compete with Spotify?

[Dimaeiya333]

SoundOn is TikTok’s new all-in-one platform for music creators, allowing them to upload their tracks directly to TikTok and then share them with other streaming platforms. TikTok promises musicians a global audience and 100% ownership, as well as 100% of the royalties. In this sense, the new platform is especially attractive for still unknown artists without a record deal who want to increase their reach.


TikTok is already having a significant impact on the music industry today, because if a song gains popularity on the platform, it is almost guaranteed to shoot to the top of the Billboard charts. That’s why, with SoundOn, Chinese parent company ByteDance is now offering artists the means to market and distribute their music. In addition to TikTok, music creators can also upload their productions to TikTok’s own music streaming service Resso and ByteDance itself. Additionally, StreamOn is linked to global streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, and Tencent’s Joox.

Good to know : ByteDance is the Chinese tech company behind the TikTok video app. Resso is the group’s first independent music streaming platform, which launched in 2019 and is currently available in India, Brazil and Indonesia.


100% rights for musicians
So SoundOn is tempting users with free distribution. The platform is thus waiving all transaction fees and royalties indefinitely for ByteDance, TikTok and Resso in Brazil, Indonesia and India and ByteDance’s CapCut video editing app. If the music is sold on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora, SoundOn is committed to paying 100 % of the royalties to the musicians for the first year, and 90% thereafter .

Additionally, artists will be verified on TikTok , allowing users to click on their profile, which will appear beneath their tracks’ song pages. Additionally, according to their FAQ page, SoundOn grants musicians full rights t finance directors email database list o their music , and they aren’t even required to use SoundOn exclusively in the process.

TikTok’s Global Head of Music Ole Obermann said: “ New artists and music creators are a vibrant community within TikTok and SoundOn is designed to support them as they take their first steps in their career. Our SoundOn teams will guide creators on their journey to the big stage and bring the artist experience and power of TikTok to life. We’re incredibly excited about how this will surface and propel new talent and how SoundOn will contribute to an increasingly diverse and growing global music industry .”

Social media-savvy users will not be surprised that ByteDance is jumping into music distribution with SoundOn after Resso, as the video app is inextricably linked to music through lip-sync battles and dance contests, for example.

Unlike Resso, however, SoundOn is targeting smaller, unsigned artists who may struggle to manage multiple streaming services at once or can't afford the high annual fees and revenue sharing of competing services.

Initially, TikTok's new music platform was tested in beta in Brazil and Indonesia. SoundOn is now available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Indonesia. Musicians from these countries only need to register on the company's website.