How to get your music on TikTok and Resso

TikTok is a social media app that allows users to create and share short videos set to music. TikTok was originally launched in China under the name Douyin, in September 2016. In 2017, TikTok was launched for markets outside China. TikTok and Douyin are based on the same software but use different networks to comply with Chinese censorship restrictions. TikTok is available via the App Store and Google Play store in 154 countries across the world.

TikTok enables everyone to be a creator. It gives TikTok users a platform to share their passion and creativity through video. In November 2022, TikTok reported having1 billion monthly active users worldwide, making it one of the largest platform in terms of users, ahead of other social channels such as Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter, which have all been around much longer.

The allure of TikTok for musicians is its audience. Compared to other social platforms, TikTok’s audience is predominantly between the age of 10 and 29 — opening up a new market for artists’ music to be discovered. As its popularity has grown, the uptake with older TikTok users has grown too. This older audience is now beginning to understand the power of TikTok and is converting to its unique social experience.

Social media is having a tremendous influence on the music industry, sending tracks and artists to the top of the charts. And TikTok is at the pinnacle of these new changes. TikTok operates differently from streaming sites such as Spotify or Apple Music — a song isn’t popular based on its overall streams, what matters most is how many people are using it in their video. Amazing news for independent musicians looking for global exposure.

Yes, you can. TikTok pays royalties. The app has licensing deals with numerous labels and music distributors — including iMusician.

TikTok’s motto is “where trends begin” — and they’re not wrong. In October 2020, Popp Hunna’s “Adderall (Corvette)” soundtracked 27.1 million videos and generated $35,087 for Popp Hunna in only 90 days. The #WAPchallenge, which spread across the platform throughout summer 2020, boosted Cardy B’s Spotify followers by over 400,000 in 28 days.

The impact TikTok can have on Spotify streams and listener growth is massive. If your music is featured in a popular video, you could see your song heading into the charts. For now, the royalties aren’t huge, but this money is an added bonus alongside promoting your music on such a pivotal music platform.

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, launched its own streaming app called Resso in April 2020. Described as a “social music streaming app”, Resso is competing against music streaming’s biggest players. Resso is not only a streaming platform, it also has social-friendly features: users can share song lyrics on other platforms, comment on titles, or stream their own content. As of March 2021, the app is available in India, Indonesia, and Brazil. We expect ByteDance to roll out to other countries throughout 2021 and beyond. A lot of major music companies are already on board with Resso, such as Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Beggars Group, and Merlin, as well as big publishers in the Indian market, including Saregama, T-Series, Zee Music, and many more.

Resso follows Spotify’s example by offering two choices of subscription: a freemium account with ads and lower stream quality (limited to 128 kbps), and the premium account which streams at a higher quality of 256 kbps. With the premium subscription, customers can also download music and listen offline. It costs $1.35 (€1.21) on Android and $1.62 (€1.45) on iOS.