TikTok are branching out further than before. They’re taking their Add To Music app practically worldwide. Here’s everything you need to know.
Despite ongoing disputes with major music rightsholders, TikTok is forging ahead in its mission to deepen its relationship with music. As of Thursday (February 22), TikTok’s Add To Music App feature will be accessible in another 163 countries. Essentially extending its reach to virtually all corners of the globe where TikTok operates.
The Add To Music App feature, debuted in the US and UK last November. Later it expanded to 19 more countries, including Japan, Germany, and France. It allows users to save songs they discover on TikTok directly to their preferred music streaming service. With this latest expansion, the feature will now be available in 184 out of 195 countries worldwide.
Notable exceptions being Russia, Iran, North Korea, and TikTok’s home market, China. So, how does it work? Within TikTok, users will notice a button labelled “Add Song” at the bottom of videos in their “For You” feed. Clicking this button allows users to save the song to a playlist in their chosen music streaming service, be it Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify.
They can do this directly on their device. Additionally, users have the flexibility to save songs to existing playlists or create new ones. Isaac Bess, TikTok’s Global Head of Distribution Partnerships, expressed excitement about the feature, highlighting its role in streamlining the music discovery experience for both users and artists.
Add To Music helps music discovery
By enabling fans to seamlessly save music from TikTok to their preferred streaming platforms, the feature contributes to music discovery and helps elevate tracks to hit status. Moreover, it opens up new avenues for artists to connect with audiences and grow their careers. The expansion of the Add To Music App feature not only enhances TikTok’s music ecosystem.
It also provides valuable insights into music streaming behaviour worldwide. This comes at a time when TikTok is rolling out its premium-only music streaming service, TikTok Music, which launched last July in Brazil and Indonesia and later expanded to other markets. Despite recent disputes with major music labels, TikTok remains committed to the popularity of music.
In addition to the Add To Music App feature, TikTok has been actively investing in music-related initiatives. Last year, the platform introduced “Artist Accounts” tailored for musicians and launched an emerging artist discovery program called Elevate. Furthermore, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, unveiled SoundOn, a music distribution platform, in 2022.
The video platform also introduced an AI-driven music-making platform called Ripple in 2023. With its latest move to expand the Add To Music App feature to a vast number of countries worldwide, TikTok continues to solidify its position as a leading destination for music discovery and engagement.
