Amidst Beijing-based ByteDance‘s looming deadline to sell TikTok in the US, the hit short form-video app is continuing to make a lot of music business-related noise in the market.
Just last week, we learned that Simon Fuller, founder of XIX Entertainment and the creator of the ‘Idol’ franchise is teaming up with TikTok to find “the world’s next music supergroup”.
Today (August 17), TikTok has announced a new deal with independent artist distribution platform UnitedMasters, that will see a full integration between both services directly through the TikTok app.
That means that TikTok users will be able to distribute their music directly to other music streaming platforms from within the TikTok app.
With this deal, UnitedMasters becomes the first music distribution company to be integrated into TikTok.
Since its launch, UnitedMasters has worked with the likes of NLE Choppa, Lil Tecca, Tobe Nwigwe, Lil XXEL, and many others.
In just 18 months, United Masters says that it has amassed over 400,000 artists, 5 billion streams, and over 500,000 distributed tracks.
The company states that it will opt all music from its creators who join UnitedMasters into the platform’s Commercial Music Library, “with the artist’s blessing”, giving businesses access to a large catalog of new sounds to use in their content.
TikTok is known for having boosted the virality of global hits likeOld Town Road and Dance Monkey , and today’s announcement from the company seeks to highlight that its platform is also becoming “a growing destination for artists looking to showcase their craft and engage new fans”.
TikTok cites artists like Curtis Roach, Curtis Waters, Breland, Tai Verdes, BMW Kenny, and others who have used the app to promote their music and “jumpstart” their careers.
It also cites artists such as ppcocaine and Avenue Beat who have previewed original music directly on the app.
TikTok will also partner with UnitedMasters in promoting key artists on the platform.
“The new partnership with United Masters makes it even easier for musicians and creators to reach new fans and earn a living doing what they love, directly from the platform.”
Kevin Mayer, TikTok
Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok, said: “Creators are the beating heart of the TikTok community, often inspired by the artists who bring their music to the platform, and providing a haven for them to thrive is key to our mission.
“The new partnership with United Masters makes it even easier for musicians and creators to reach new fans and earn a living doing what they love, directly from the platform.”
“If you are a musical artist, TikTok is the best place for your music to go viral.”
Steve Stoute, UnitedMasters
“If you are a musical artist, TikTok is the best place for your music to go viral and UnitedMasters is the best place to sustain it while retaining full ownership of your work,” said Steve Stoute, CEO and Founder of UnitedMasters.
“By combining the two, we create the platform for tomorrow’s stars who will be famous, fiercely independent and wealthy.”
“This partnership with UnitedMasters gives us a turn-key solution to help artists who are born on TikTok to reach their fans on every music service.”
Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music at TikTok, added: “TikTok artists who are creating music in their bedrooms today will be featured in the Billboard charts tomorrow.
“Our mission is to help those artists achieve their creative potential and success.
“This partnership with UnitedMasters gives us a turn-key solution to help artists who are born on TikTok to reach their fans on every music service.”Music Business Worldwide
