TikTok rolls out Add To Music feature in 163 new countries

The innovation, first introduced in November last year in partnership with major music streaming services including Amazon Music and Spotify, allows music enthusiasts to save the songs they discover on TikTok directly to their preferred music streaming services. 

The new Add Song button is displayed as a button next to a track name in the For You Feed. Upon the first use, users can choose the default music streaming service for future saves. The track is initially saved to a default playlist, but users can opt to add it to a new or existing playlist. The feature can also be accessed from an artist’s Sound Detail Page. 

TikTok’s global head of music business development, Ole Obermann, said at the time of launch: “TikTok is already the world’s most powerful platform for music discovery and promotion, which helps artists connect with our global community to drive engagement with their music. Add to Music App takes this process a step further, creating a direct link between discovery on TikTok and consumption on a music streaming service, making it easier than ever for music fans to enjoy the full-length song on the music streaming service of their choice, thereby generating even greater value for artists and rightsholders.”

Amazon Music’s Karolina Joynathsing added: “Some of the best parts of being a music lover are those serendipitous moments when you discover a new song or artist that you connect with instantly. At Amazon Music, we’re looking to make it easier to convert those moments into enduring fandom. That’s why we worked together with TikTok on the Add to Music App feature, which makes it easier for fans to listen to the music they love and for artists to build fandom.”

“No matter where you are, or the moment you’re in, we want to create less work to get to the audio you love,” Spotify vice president, global head of consumer experience Sten Garmark said. “That means being everywhere our users are and creating seamless ways to save songs to Spotify to enjoy when and how they choose to listen.

“As the world’s largest audio streaming subscription service, our mission is to bring artists and fans together, so you can listen to more of what you love, across any platform or device. Essentially, you won’t need to find audio to suit the moment. It will find you.”

In January, Universal Music Group announced the cessation of its global licensing deal with TikTok, resulting in the removal of approximately 3 million recorded music tracks and about 4 million songs represented by UMG in publishing rights from the platform.

Meanwhile, TikTok’s global head of music operations, Paul Hourican, has departed the company. Hourican, who joined TikTok in 2019, played a key role in the launch of its distribution arm, SoundOn.