TikTok leans further into music with new Artist Accounts for musicians

TikTok has introduced ‘Artist Accounts’ specifically for musicians on the platform.   The ByteDance-owned social platform says these verified accounts offer “a toolbox of features and promotional tools developed to forge a closer relationship between artist and fan on TikTok”.   These accounts are available to every artist or musician that has released music, and according to TikTok, act as “the shop window for fans to learn more about your music, creative process and to discover the latest releases”.   After activating their account, artists gain access to a suite of promotional resources, including an artist tag that sits below their account name.  

According to TikTok, this “will signify to the community and potential new fans that you are an artist”.  Artists must upload at least four tracks to receive a tag.   TikTok  also releases a "New Release" tool for artist-owners. BTS first tested the feature  in the summer  to promote their single Take Two, but  now it's being  widely adopted as part of  new accounts. 

  The promotion tool allows artists to highlight a new song up to 14 days before release and  30 days after release.   The label is also highlighting the new release catalog on audio search pages, which TikTok says allows artists to "promote the discovery of new music."

The new artist accounts also have a "Music" tab, which combines the artist's catalog into a list of available tracks (in a similar arrangement to  streaming platforms such as Spotify).

TikTok says  new music is automatically added to this list.   As you can see in the image below, the  list of songs shows the number of TikTok videos in which each song is used, as well as 30-second clips of the songs. 

Earlier this month, TikTok launched an "Add to Music App" feature  in partnership with services like Spotify and Amazon Music to allow users to save songs found on TikTok directly to these streaming services.   The new artist accounts have an "Artist From" feature, which TikTok says increases the artist's exposure by allowing them to pin their desired post to the top of the discovery page.  Meanwhile, the Behind the Song feature allows artists to share "the stories and inspiration behind their songs" (see below).   TikTok says  this product feature has "already proven very popular with artists" such as Cat Burns, Fred again... and RAYE.  "Behind the Song has really helped me connect with my core fan base and  helps people who may not know me that well understand my songs better," said Cat Burns.  “Songwriting is often inspired by things I've been through, and I often post songs I've written when I'm inspired. Behind the Song helps me tie everything together and make clear what I was thinking and feeling at the time I wrote it.”  

Commenting on the new Artist Account feature, Paul Hourican, Global Head of Music Partnerships and Programming at TikTok said: “With the introduction of the Artist Account, we are proud to further empower artists by providing them with the tools they need to reach new heights on TikTok.  

  Paul Hourican, TikTok   Added Hourican: “Alongside new features like Add To Music App, we’re seeing how these features can deepen engagement whilst creating unique opportunities for fans to connect with their favorite artists in meaningful ways, driving music discovery on the platform.” 

  TikTok’s expansion of its promotional and discoverability tools for artists follows the rollout last month of its premium streaming service TikTok Music in Australia, Singapore and Mexico (without Universal’s catalog), following the service’s initial launch in Brazil and Indonesia back in July.

BW