TikTok taps DistroKid to fuel on-platform music discovery for independent artists

31 October 2023 - Press release

Global deal creates new revenue opportunities for independent artists

 

TikTok and DistroKid today announced a deal that will unlock new opportunities for independent artists to promote their music, build an audience, and make their music accessible to the platform's millions of video creators and music listeners. The deal will see music distributed by DistroKid available across TikTok Music, CapCut, and in TikTok's Commercial Music Library.

The new agreement will mean that, for the first time, music from artists distributed by DistroKid will be available on TikTok Music, the platform's new premium-only social music streaming service, which is now available in five countries around the world.

DistroKid and TikTok have been working together since 2019 when DistroKid signed on as one of the first distributors to help independent artists get their music uploaded to TikTok. Since then, music from DistroKid artists has also been available in TikTok's Commercial Music Library (CML), which offers a catalog of artist-driven music for brands to use in their advertising on TikTok, without having to seek traditional approvals. The ongoing partnership will also see both TikTok and DistroKid seeking new opportunities to make the most of the platform for indie creators. DistroKid, the world's largest distributor of independent music, estimates that it distributes 30-40% of all the world's music.

"Independent music from around the world fuels creativity on TikTok in such a powerful way," said Tracy Gardner, TikTok's Global Head of Label Licensing & Partnerships. "Having DistroKid's vast catalog of music available on TikTok Music, CapCut and in the Commercial Music Library is a great opportunity for our community, a huge asset to brands, and is an unparalleled means of music discovery for these indie artists around the world."

"TikTok is one of the most powerful music discovery platforms in the world," said Philip Kaplan, Founder and CEO of DistroKid. "The expansion of this partnership to include CapCut and the Commercial Music Library makes it super easy for millions of musicians to make their music available in even more places, while TikTok's new music streaming service provides further reach as it becomes available in more countries around the world."

Emerging artist INJI added her viral hit "Gaslight" onto TikTok's CML last year via DistroKid and saw an immediate jump in usage when several brands included her song in their campaigns. By the end of last year, the track had more than 14 billion views and over 3 million videos created. The activity on TikTok helped to fuel more than 1.3 million monthly listeners for INJI on Spotify, showing the strong connection between music discovery on TikTok and audience building on other platforms.

"TikTok has been such an incredible platform for my music, and I know that first hand through my experience with the Commercial Music Library," said INJI. "Having the ability to distribute my music to TikTok Music will be a game changer for me as I continue to build my fan base around the world."

Other DistroKid artists echoed the enthusiasm around the opportunity to have a presence on TikTok Music. Houston-based R&B singer Jaylon Ashaum, whose track "good with me" has been used via TikTok's commercial music library by such brands as The Ryder Cup, Jack In The Box, Cosmo, Lane Bryant, NFL On CBS, Major League Baseball and others, said, "TikTok is where the magic happens. TikTok has been huge in helping me build a solid fanbase that follows me everywhere from Instagram to Spotify. I've seen it first-hand when great music and great content come together, it's a domino effect that keeps audiences engaged and in sync with my tunes across the board. With my songs now on TikTok Music, it's only going to keep things growing."

Known for its intuitive ease of operation, DistroKid makes it easy for artists to choose to upload their tracks to TikTok Music, which is currently live in Indonesia and Brazil, and in beta in Australia, Mexico, Singapore.