- TikTok is testing new tools like the Songwriter label and Songwriter Music Tab to help creators gain visibility and earnings.
- Early adopters include top songwriters like Lauren Christy and Justin Tranter.
- These features aim to credit songwriters, boost royalties, and expand TikTok’s growing role in the music industry.
TikTok is rolling out new features to help songwriters gain more visibility, recognition, and monetization opportunities on TikTok. It is stated that thousands of songs are going viral, and the company aims to make sure that the creators behind these tracks receive proper credit.
As part of the beta program, TikTok has also launched a new Songwriter label, that identifies the user profile by marking it as a songwriter. In addition to this, they can use a Songwriter Music Tab to highlight songs they have written or even co-written, thus giving access to more people who may find their work.
Currently, such features are available to only a few songwriters and publishers. Some of the early adopters include well-known artists as Lauren Christy (Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears) or Toby Gad (Fergie, John Legend), or Justin Tranter (Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande). TikTok has also opened a waiting list of other songwriters expecting to join the program in the future.
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance worked on the new features after research and a survey that included a survey of 871 songwriters and 18 in-depth interviews. Its purpose is to enhance the visibility of the songwriters as well as generate some income through the app.
According to TikTok, 53 percent of songwriters in the United States who write full-time are already using the platform, showing that it has a considerable effect in the music industry.
When it comes to royalties, TikTok is comparable to such platforms as YouTube. It also has licensing agreements with providers and record companies so that each time an artist is used in a TikTok video, they receive royalties. But payouts depend on its distributor.
