- Kyle Chua
TikTok Reportedly Working on Music Streaming Platform to Challenge Spotify, Apple
There could soon be a new player in the music streaming space that can challenge Spotify and Apple Music's market dominance, and it's none other than TikTok.
ByteDance, the parent company of the massively popular short-form video platform, recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for "TikTok Music". According to Insider, who spotted the filing and broke the story, the trademark describes a mobile app that'll allow users to purchase, play, share and download music. They can additionally live stream audio and video, upload photos to set as playlist covers and comment on songs and albums.
While there aren't many details yet about the new project, it does kind of sound like it'll be leaning close to what other music streaming platforms are already doing, including Spotify and Apple Music.
The project, after all, makes sense for ByteDance from a business standpoint. TikTok has long been credited for helping users discover new music, with the platform allowing songs to be used for its content, such as viral dance crazes or trendy challenges. However, the Beijing-based tech giant doesn't have a dedicated music streaming service in certain international markets, leaving users no other choice but to turn to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music to listen to the songs they discover on TikTok.
Resso, which is ByteDance's music streaming service, is currently only available in India, Brazil and Indonesia. Insider notes that the service does have some of the listed features from the filing like song-sharing and community interactions.
TechCrunch adds that ByteDance did at one point consider bringing Resso to the U.S. and Australia, among other markets as TikTok Music. But that, of course, has yet to materialise. The trademark application seemingly suggests the company still intends to launch the service in these markets, so perhaps it's just a matter of time.
Insider claims ByteDance has to demonstrate that it'll use the trademark before applying for it, which means it's just a placeholder for now.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for "TikTok Music".
The trademark reportedly describes a mobile app that'll allow users to purchase, play, share and download music, which seemingly suggests it's a music streaming service similar to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.
The Beijing-based tech giant, however, has to demonstrate that it'll use the trademark before applying for it, which means the filing is just a placeholder for now.