A Roundup of TikTok's Newest Music Initiatives and Programs: #NewMusic, Work with Artist, Artist Impact Program, and SoundOn
In recent weeks, TikTok has launched a series of music-related initiatives and programs, that bring together artists, listeners, creators, and brands.
Here's a look at what's new and the significance of them:
#NewMusic
#NewMusic is a dedicated music hub where users can discover new and trending music from emerging and established artists. Users can search #NewMusic in the app to access the hub, which offers videos with music by categories such as Featured, Trending, and Discover. TikTok launched the hub with support from the Jonas Brothers and Miguel, whose music is highlighted in playlists, challenges, and more.
What it means and why it matters: TikTok has become a powerful music discovery engine, helping users find new hits and old classics by artists of all levels. This hub creates a central location for users to take advantage of its music discovery capabilities, which also benefit artists looking to reach music-hungry fans. If TikTok can consistently surface music that users enjoy and creators want to include in their videos, it could start to rival Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist. It could also be a place for TikTok to offer advertising space to artists and labels to promote new releases.
Artist Impact Program
The Artist Impact Program (AIP) is a new program to bring more music from artists across the globe to the platform and help brands and artists connect. Through global distribution partnerships with Believe, DistroKid, and Vydia, artists can monetize their music by allowing brands to find their music in the Commercial Music Library (CML) and use it in organic and paid content.
What it means and why it matters: Since its launch in 2020, the CML has grown stronger, boasting a library of over a million songs. The addition of the AIP will build on this momentum by streamlining the process for artists to add their music to the CML for brand use. This can create a new revenue stream for artists, especially those without the team or support to get their music placed in ads, films, or television. Additionally, it provides advertisers with more options for leveraging music to reach consumers.
Work with Artists
Through the Work with Artists program, creators can participate in challenge-based campaigns. They can create a video featuring a song from an artist with the potential to receive cash payments based on the number of likes, shares, and views their video receives. Creators can access available campaigns through Creator Next, where they can view a list of campaigns with details such as the cash reward (current payments go up to $120 per person), campaign description, duration, requirements (such as hashtags, video language, and effects), video references, a place to access the song, and submit their videos.
What it means and why it matters: Work with Artists looks to be an iteration of Branded Mission, which enables brands to release challenges and crowdsource content based on different prompts, but with artists taking on the role of brands. By participating in this initiative, artists can benefit from user-generated content featuring their music in exchange for compensating the creators of the top-performing videos based on a reward system. This can help artists expand their listener base and encourage others to use their music in their own videos. As music is a crucial part of many creators' videos, creators have the potential to monetize these videos, although payouts are pretty low for most creators.
SoundOn Exclusive Distribution Deals
According to reports, TikTok is testing exclusive deals with artists through SoundOn. These deals offer artists more control over their music, direct distribution to TikTok and other streaming services, full ownership of their music, and royalties. Earlier this year, TikTok and Snoop Dogg collaborated to re-release the Death Row Records catalog through SoundOn exclusively on TikTok
What it means and why it matters: Signing artists to distribution deals appears to strike the right balance between working more directly with artists and starting its own record label. Starting a label would require significant resources and could impact TikTok’s relationship with music publishers. Due to the power of TikTok and the direct access to fans it provides, artists will see SoundOn as a viable alternative to signing a traditional deal. This would allow them to tap into all of TikTok's distribution tools while retaining ownership and control, which are typically lost when artists sign with big labels. Additionally, SoundOn can enable artists to distribute songs specifically built for TikTok, which are typically hook-focused and sped up, allowing them a more strategic approach to music distribution for social consumption.
Supporting the Entire Music Ecosystem
TikTok continues to support the entire music ecosystem. These updates make it easier for creators to discover and incorporate music into their content, while also providing artists with increased visibility, opportunities for discovery, and avenues for monetization. This not only benefits artists by expanding their reach and potential fanbase but also offers advertisers stronger marketing capabilities without the burden of copyright concerns.
A Prediction for What May Be Next
One thing that is still missing, and which I believe, will be available in the future, is the ability for brands to directly license popular and trending songs from major artists through TikTok in partnership with major labels. Although the CML continues to improve, many brands want to use the latest viral songs from the likes of Lizzo or Drake. However, licensing these songs on their own can often be complex, long, and expensive for brands. Look for TikTok to develop an offering that makes it easier, faster, and more cost-efficient for brands, whether through a marketplace-type experience or managed services.
