TikTok takes on Spotify, Apple Music as it expands into music streaming

TikTok is rolling out its new subscription-based music streaming platform to Australia, Mexico, and Singapore for testing. Dubbed TikTok Music, it’s almost two weeks after the service first debuted in Indonesia and Brazil. TikTok invited these new markets to join a closed beta test starting today, providing participants with a three-month free trial for the TikTok Music service.

“TikTok Music is a new kind of music service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a music streaming service offering millions of tracks from thousands of artists,” the company said via its press release. Participating users can join the beta by downloading the TikTok Music app, either by visiting music.tiktok.com, or directly from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

According to information listed on the regional websites that have already launched, a TikTok Music subscription costs AUD11.99 ($8.18 USD) per month in Australia, MXN$115 ($6.87 USD) in Mexico, and S$9.90 ($7.47 USD) in Singapore. TikTok Music is also available as a discounted subscription for university students and family plans for up to six accounts.

While TikTok Music has its own dedicated app, the new streaming service can also be linked to a standard TikTok account, allowing users to listen, share, and download music that they discover through the social media platform. Users will also be able to share their favorite TikTok Music tracks and artists with their community on the main TikTok service. 

The service includes features that allow users to import their music library, download songs to listen offline, create collaborative playlists, view lyrics in real-time, and find tracks by searching for their lyrics. The service also includes a Shazam-like feature to identify songs heard nearby and allows TikTok Music subscribers to leave comments and interact with other users.

There’s currently no word on when we can expect TikTok Music to launch in the US, though the company said in its press release that it will have “more news to share on the launch of TikTok Music in the coming months.”

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, filed a trademark application for TikTok Music in Australia back in November 2021, later followed by another filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office in May last year adding some assurance that ByteDance has plans to launch TikTok Music in the US despite the government’s concerns.

TikTok is already a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. The platform has driven the success of many hit songs since it launched in 2016, helping users discover new artists and tracks through viral trends. Many of these songs are collected into dedicated TikTok playlists on rival streaming services.

Hence it makes sense that TikTok would want to compete with the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music directly. The company also has partnerships in place with Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group to pad out its audio library.