TikTok father or mother firm ByteDance filed a trademark utility with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace in Could for a service referred to as “TikTok Music.” First noticed by Enterprise Insider, the submitting signifies that the trademark could possibly be utilized to a cell app that might permit customers to buy, play, share and obtain music.
The short-form video app is already a well-liked device for locating music, and oftentimes can result in songs rising in recognition after they’re utilized in viral movies and traits. A report launched by the corporate final 12 months urged that 175 songs that trended on the brief video platform ended up on the Billboard 100 chart. As well as, a current report printed by a U.Okay.-based music investor urged that songs which can be common on TikTok drive extra views on YouTube and streams on different platforms, like Spotify.
Whereas TikTok drives these songs to be common, it doesn’t have its personal music streaming platform — no less than within the U.S. — to make cash from them. As a substitute, customers flip to common companies like Spotify or Apple Music to play their favourite TikTok songs. Nonetheless, TikTok’s father or mother firm ByteDance operates a music streaming service referred to as Resso in India, Brazil, and Indonesia, and we perceive it had beforehand thought-about bringing this service to extra markets.
A former ByteDance worker instructed TechCrunch the corporate had weighed launching Resso to numerous world markets beneath a “TikTok Music” moniker, in truth. Particularly, it had been contemplating launches in mature markets just like the U.Okay. and Australia, the supply mentioned.
Resso’s app could possibly be a viable menace to current U.S. streamers given its shut ties to TikTok and its social networking facets. At present, Resso provides a TikTok-like consumer interface the place customers can skip by the songs by scrolling up and down. It additionally has the choice to touch upon songs and albums, and edit the quilt of customers’ playlists — much like what the TikTok Music trademark suggests.
The app has seen stable progress in its current markets, cell knowledge signifies. In response to analytics agency SensorTower, the corporate noticed 42.3 million downloads from the App Retailer and Google Play from January to Could this 12 months — progress of 19% year-over-year for a similar interval. The music streaming app has had 184 million lifetime downloads general.
ByteDance’s submitting lists quite a few use circumstances for the TikTok Music trademark. One use case listed within the submitting for “TikTok Music” contains an app that might permit customers to dwell stream audio and video, together with the choice to “edit and add images as the quilt of playlists.” The app would additionally permit customers to go away feedback on music, songs, and albums, in accordance with the submitting. One other use case means that the service could possibly be used to “dwell stream audio and video interactive media programming within the subject of leisure, trend, sports activities, and present occasions.” The submitting additionally suggests the app could possibly be used to “present customers with podcast and radio broadcast content material.” The addition of podcast content material alongside music would make TikTok Music a good greater competitor to Apple Music and Spotify.
The information of TikTok’s potential upcoming music streaming service comes as the corporate launched its personal music advertising and marketing and distribution platform, SoundOn, a couple of months in the past to assist extra artists get their music heard. The platform permits artists to add their music on to TikTok and Resso, along with world streaming platforms together with Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, and Tencent’s Joox. With the launch of its personal music streaming service alongside SoundOn, TikTok would be capable to supply a whole resolution for each listeners and artists within the U.S.
TikTok has dominated the short-form video market and was the primary non-Meta app to app to attain three billion downloads globally, in accordance with Sensor Tower. Its progress has precipitated the likes of Instagram and YouTube to rethink their platforms and enterprise approaches as a result of menace they face from the short-form video app. That makes its plans to enter the music streaming area a possible menace to incumbents.
Nonetheless, it’s price noting TikTok hasn’t proved to achieve success in translating all its companies to new markets. The corporate, for instance, not too long ago shuttered its Buying service within the U.Okay. after a disastrous launch and worker walk-out. TikTok’s U.Okay. staff had alleged a poisonous work tradition and employment regulation violations. This might set again plans to carry different companies — together with Resso, a service run by the Chinese language tech large ByteDance — to the U.S. or different areas.
ByteDance and TikTok didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s request for remark.