TikTok gets serious with its own streaming service

Boomers beware: TikTok, the infamous short video app "for the young", is launching its own streaming service for music. Tiktok Music was launched in Brazil and Indonesia and is now being expanded to Australia, Mexico and Singapore - with more countries to follow. The app is still in the beta phase. And not yet available in Europe.

TikTok has been repeatedly criticised for various privacy concerns - and has been banned for government employees in some countries.

The company writes that the existing TikTok account can be synchronised with the new service. Available tracks include those from major labels such as Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music. In the current beta phase, the subscription is free for three months in the available countries, after which it will cost five to nine francs per month depending on the country - significantly less than Spotify and co.

The music powerhouse TikToks

Even if many people don't want to admit it, the Chinese app has had a decisive impact on the music world. Time and again, songs first go viral with TikTok videos - and can then be found in the charts. For example Old Town Road: The song was a TikTok meme and subsequently topped the US charts for 17 weeks. In Switzerland, the song was in first place for five weeks.

TikTok Music wants to exploit this mechanism: In the new streaming service, you can find the respective full versions of the viral TikTok songs and their lyrics. You can also share the whole thing with your friends. The service also has a function that, like Shazam, can identify unknown songs - making it even easier to find the tracks from the videos and create a connection between videos and music. Like YouTube.

More money for artists

Last year, Tiktok entered the music business with the platform SoundOn. It allows artists to upload their music directly to TikTok. They should be better remunerated than with Spotify or Apple Music. According to the company, artists should also earn more proportionately for their streams on TikTok Music.

It remains to be seen whether TikTok Music will be a serious competitor to existing streaming suppliers when it launches globally - the date of which is still unknown. However, the Group is definitely making an announcement with its favourable subscription price.