TikTok may be working on a rival to Spotify and Apple Music, based on a new trademark application its parent company ByteDance just filed in the US.
The trademark is for a service called TikTok Music. Not only does the name imply that it will rival the best music streaming services in the world, but the trademark request clarify for us. ByteDance calls TikTok Music a smartphone and desktop app that “allows users to buy, play, share [and] music download”, as well as offering the ability to listen to non-downloadable audio and video (read: streaming).
That’s a description of the Spotify and Apple Music clone if we ever hear one.
ByteDance has also described the service as having advertising services, perhaps suggesting there will be an ad-supported option like Spotify’s free tier. However, we’ll have to wait and see what it announces, if it launches the service.
While it’s more than likely that we’ll see the release of TikTok Music soon, we can’t take this trademark for granted. Not only might ByteDance decide to scrap its plans for the service, it could also face some issues from various governments.
Legislators in WE (opens in new tab) and UK (opens in new tab) have already expressed concerns about TikTok and its connections to China. If ByteDance cannot alleviate these concerns, we could see it lose its ability to operate in certain parts of the world.
If that happens, we can say goodbye to TikTok and any potential expansion plans like TikTok Music.
TikTok Music could change the game, again
Assuming there are no obstacles in the way, TikTok Music seems like a pretty logical next step for the social media company. TikTok is one of the best ways to discover new music, thanks to dance trends and memes that hijack snippets of songs and make them go viral.
Our own Daryl Baxter even used the app to rework his wedding playlist.
With that in mind, TikTok Music would likely make it a lot easier to find the full versions of catchy tracks – especially if you’re looking for a cover or a remix rather than an original song. Instead of having to scroll through track lists on rival services, we could see users pressing a few buttons on TikTok and being instantly sent to the full track on TikTok Music.
If we’re lucky, we might even see some TikTok creativity brought to TikTok Music. The trademark discusses giving users the ability to edit video and audio – perhaps allowing people to create and share their own remixes and video clips.
We’ll have to wait and see what unfolds in the coming weeks and months, but Apple and Spotify will want to keep an eye out. TikTok is already taking over Google Maps as the best way to discover new places to visit, these other apps will also soon be able to find their user base captured by the app.
(through Business Insider (opens in new tab))