In the past few months, TikTok has gone all out to position itself as a major contender in the music industry. I’d hesitated diving into the details, fearing it might not be newsworthy enough but TikTok just won’t stop. It's hard to ignore what they’ve been about.

From introducing its Live Event and Streaming App, I highlight some strategic moves that TikTok has recently implemented, inching them closer to becoming an all-round music powerhouse.

Partnership with Ticketmaster

Henceforth, you will be able to buy concert tickets from within the TikTok app.

TikTok and Ticketmaster have expanded their ticketing partnership into more than 20 new markets, following a successful beta launch in the US last year.

The integration now includes countries such as the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Canada, and many more. This means Certified Artists on TikTok can now add Ticketmaster links to their videos, allowing users to buy concert tickets directly within the TikTok app.

Over 75,000 artists can benefit from this feature. The partnership has already seen ticketing campaigns for various artists, comedians, and sports teams including Niall Horan, The Kooks, Burna Boy, and Shania Twain.

According to TikTok, there have been over 2.5 billion views of videos using this in-app feature since the beta launch.

‘Artist Account’ Launch

TikTok has introduced Artist Accounts specifically designed for musicians on the platform. These verified accounts provide artists with a range of features and promotional tools.

The accounts act as a showcase for fans to learn more about the artist's music, creative process, and latest releases. After activating their account, artists gain access to promotional resources, including an artist tag that identifies them as musicians. 

Also, TikTok is launching a "New Release" tool that allows artists to promote new tracks for up to 14 days before and 30 days after release. The tool should help drive further discovery of new music. 

Artist Accounts also feature a "Music Tab" that organizes an artist's catalog in a list of available tracks, displaying the number of TikTok videos each track has been used in.

Artist Accounts also include features like "By Artist", allowing artists to pin preferred posts for better visibility, and "Behind the Song", enabling artists to share the stories and inspirations behind their songs.

Direct Link to Major Streaming Platforms

TikTok's "Add to Music App" feature lets users save songs they discover on TikTok directly to streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. 

However, it's access to this feature on Amazon Music is currently limited to Prime Members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers only.

The "Add to Music App" feature will first be available to users in the US and UK, with plans to expand to other markets soon.

TikTok Music, the Music Streaming Platform

Earlier this year, TikTok launched its own [paid] music-streaming platform in Brazil, Indonesia; and then Australia, Singapore, and Mexico - but without Universal Music’s catalog.

As a premium-only subscription music service, TikTok Music says that it aims to offer “a high-quality listening experience while increasing opportunities and revenue for artists and rightsholders”.

In Australia, TikTok Music currently costs AUD 8.99 per month for an Individual premium account after a one-month free trial. A Family subscription costs AUD 18.99 per month, while a student account costs AUD 5.99 per month.

In Singapore, the monthly prices for TikTok Music’s Individual, Family, and Student plans are S$7.90, S$16.98/mo, and S$4.98 respectively.

In Mexico, the monthly prices for TikTok Music’s Individual, Family, and Student plans are MXN 95, MXN 179, and MXN 59, respectively.

Some features on the app include “Sync With TikTok” which lets you sync your TikTok and TikTok Music accounts. You’re also able to play ‘TikTok Hits’ by streaming the full versions of viral TikTok songs. There is also a ‘Music Discovery With TikTok’ feature, which TikTok says “lets you record your music discovery journey in TikTok and explore the songs in TikTok Music”.

Other features include:

• Discover More Personalised Music: Swipe up and down to explore songs just for you
• Discover New & Emerging Artists: Find your new favourite artist
• Find Your Music Community: Express yourself through comments, enjoy behind-the-scenes stories, and connect with like-minded music lovers
• Sing Along With Real-Time Lyrics: Sing and rap like a pro with built-in lyrics that play automatically
• Co-create collaborative Playlists with Friends: Making music better together
• Import your Music Library: With just one click, you can import your external playlists and play them through TikTok Music
• Find a song through Lyrics Search: Don’t know the song title or artist’s name? Solve the mystery by searching for the lyrics
• Name That Song: Easily identify any song you’re listening to with Song Catch

All new TikTok Music users in Australia, Singapore, and Mexico get a one-month free trial of the platform.

‘TikTok In The Mix’ Live Event

TikTok will be hosting its first-ever live music event, called ‘TikTok In The Mix’ on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The lineup features superstar headliners such as Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta, Pesu Pluma and Charlie Puth, alongside emerging talent Sam Barber, Isabel LaRosa, Kaliii, and LU KALA from TikTok’s Elevate emerging artists program.

It will also be streamed globally via TikTok Live, and Pre-sale tickets were available exclusively on TikTok.