TikTok already has a colossal influence on the face of today’s music scene; an artist’s track that goes viral on the video-sharing program has a good chance of traveling to the top of the music charts. Now the company is seeking to wield a more direct influence with the launch of its new music and marketing app, SoundOn.
SoundOn will let allow artists to upload their material directly to TikTok, or to a wide variety of streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Resso, the streaming service owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The SoundOn website claims that artists will “retain all rights and royalties, meaning [artists will] own [their] masters and receive 100% royalties from all DSPs.”
After one year, ByteDance will pay 90 percent of all royalties, and charge no administrative fees. Compensation will be based upon “how often your music is used in TikTok videos,” though no specific rate was stated on the SoundOn website.
In a statement reported by Variety, Ole Obermann, global head of music at TikTok, said:
“New artists and musical creators are a vibrant community within TikTok, and SoundOn is designed to support them as they take the first steps in their career. 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.”
SoundOn claims that a major feature of the service is an artist’s ability to release content directly onto TikTok, thus getting their material in front of TikTok creators, and taking advantage of the platform’s viral nature.
“TikTok creators are the lifeblood of our platform and the reason sounds become hits. When you release through our platform, our team will activate diverse creators to make videos with your track. This helps you broaden your fanbase and reach new communities that these creators are a part of.”
SoundOn is currently offering several marketing tools to its users, including direct creator marketing on TikTok, editorial placements on Resso and CapCut, and direct advice from the SoundOn marketing team. Users can display their own musical creations under TikTok’s music tab, and other users can access their profile directly through track information.
SoundOn is now fully online in the US, Indonesia, the UK, and Brazil, after beginning beta testing in the fall of 2021. The service is TikTok’s second foray into distribution, following the company’s 2020 deal with UnitedMasters.
Interested users can sign up for the service directly through the website.
