Wondering how to get your music on TikTok? In this blog, we’ll show you how to distribute and monetize your music on the short-form video platform.
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What is TikTok?
TikTok is a global platform for creating and sharing short-form video content. Since its official release in 2017, the platform has become one of the most widely used social media apps in the world, particularly for music discovery.
Why should musicians be on TikTok?
TikTok is one of the most popular ways fans discover new music today. The platform’s bite-size video style is perfect for showcasing your hooks, giving behind-the-scenes looks, and challenging fans to participate in trends — all of which can drive interest in your music.
In fact, recent data from Luminate revealed that 84% of the songs in Billboard’s Global 200 went viral on TikTok first. Additionally, the platform’s “Add to Music App” feature has driven over 1 billion song saves since launching in 2023.
For emerging artists, TikTok’s “For You” page offers an instant gateway to a global audience. Getting consistent and creative with your content can get your music in front of hundreds of new fans. Plus, posting is easy. Have fun participating in trends, share documented footage from the studio, live shows, or daily life. CD Baby artist Melina KB offers some tips for getting started building your audience on TikTok.
What does it mean to get my music on TikTok?
Being a social media platform, TikTok is different from traditional streaming platforms like Spotify. Although the platform is working on integrations to allow users to stream music from within the app (an integration launched this year with Apple Music), you can’t stream music in full through TikTok itself.
Instead, distributing your music to TikTok adds it to the TikTok Sound Library. Fans can select your track from the library to sync them to their video content. As your track gets used in more videos, more fans have the chance to discover and engage with your music.
Can I make money from my music on TikTok?
Yes! As fans use your tracks in their video content, they generate “micro-sync” royalties. CD Baby’s Social Video Monetization service allows you to collect that revenue. Just opt into the service on your next release or enable it for an existing release through your CD Baby dashboard.
Understanding TikTok for Artists
Recognizing the platform’s growing popularity with musicians and fans, TikTok introduced TikTok for Artists in 2023 – providing artists with a hub of tools and features to promote their music, build deeper relationships, and convert engagement into sustained growth. Once you’ve set up a TikTok Artist Account, you can access TikTok for Artists to fully manage your profile and gain actionable insights about how fans engage with your music on the platform.
How do I claim my TikTok Artist Account?
You can claim your TikTok Artist Account here. TikTok will review your application within 30 days. Once you’re approved, the Music Tab and Artist Tag will appear on your profile. For more information on claiming your TikTok Artist Account visit the TikTok for Artists Help Center
Distribute your music to TikTok with CD Baby
Want to get your music on TikTok? Release your music to TikTok — and 150 other platforms — worldwide with CD Baby, without annual subscription fees.
Chris Robley is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and award-winning poet from Maine.
His Beatlesque indie-pop and milltown Americana songs have been praised by The Associated Press, No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, Boston Globe, NPR, American Songwriter, and others.
His poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Review, and more.
Robley has received a Maine Literary Award in Poetry, Boulevard’s Emerging Writers Prize for Poetry, and in 2016 was selected by former US-poet laureate Robert Pinsky as a finalist for the Dorset Prize.