TikTok has launched SoundOn, a new distribution and marketing tool for Australian music creators. The platform, which officially launched on Sunday, Feb. 5, allows musicians to upload their works directly to TikTok and other third-party music platforms. The Platform offers “a range of promotional tools” and pays 100% of royalties in the first year.
Designed to empower new and undiscovered artists, SoundOn is free to join and is backed by a team of local music industry experts and TikTok music specialists. The service provides clients with access to audience insights and data, as well as a song tab where music is linked to profile pages. The likes of Ashwarya, Aleksiah, The Drax Project, Roy Bing, Xanu, Kate Gill, Mikalya Pasterfield and CXLOE are among the first Australian artists to join, while internationally, the likes of Nicky Youre, Katherine Li, Chloe Adams and Armani White have also signed up.
SoundOn can also distribute to other music platforms, although the official statement does not specify which DSPs and streaming services are cooperating with the Australian project. The ByteDance-owned app has already launched SoundOn in the U.K., U.S., Brazil, Indonesia and other markets, making it a distributor and partner to the DIY music scene.
Ollie Wards, director of music for TikTok ANZ, says, “Lots of Australian artists have been discovered and found new fans through TikTok, so we’re excited to help artists get their music to fans through our new service. Backed by a team of local music industry experts, SoundOn gives artists a new way to distribute their music to digital platforms and grow their fanbases.”
According to the Digital 2022 Australia report, TikTok has seen a 40% year-on-year jump in time spent on the app each month and is now ahead of Twitter in terms of regular users. The report also states that 32% of the 16-64 age group use TikTok as a social media staple, spending 23.4 hours per month on the app. TikTok is currently “running a test” in Australia to analyse “how music is accessed and used on the platform.”