TikTok to shut down its music streaming service

TikTok has confirmed that its music streaming service, TikTok Music, will cease operations on November 28, 2024. Users in the five regions where the service is available – Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Mexico – have been encouraged to transfer their playlists to other platforms by October 28 and request any refunds by the end of November.

The decision to shut down TikTok Music is part of a broader strategy by ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, aimed at focusing on partnerships with existing music streaming platforms. Ole Obermann, ByteDance's Global Head of Music Business Development, explained that the company aims to promote even more music listening through collaborations with streaming services. Specifically, the "Add to Music App" feature, launched in 2023, has already enabled hundreds of millions of songs discovered on TikTok to be saved directly to playlists on platforms like Spotify.

TikTok Music had debuted with the goal of capitalizing on TikTok's enormous potential for music discovery, but ByteDance has now decided to change course. Shutting down the service will allow the company to focus on strengthening TikTok's role as a driver of music discovery and promotion, rather than directly competing in the already crowded streaming market.

Despite facing challenges, such as the temporary removal of the Universal Music Group (UMG) catalog in early 2024, ByteDance later reached new agreements with major labels, restoring the availability of their music on TikTok. However, the closure of the streaming service marks a clear shift towards collaboration with the industry's established giants, benefiting artists, labels, and users alike.

This new TikTok strategy aims to consolidate its role as a music discovery platform, facilitating the transition of songs from TikTok to major streaming platforms. Users will continue to be able to save songs discovered on the app thanks to integration with services like Spotify, thus strengthening the connection between TikTok and external DSPs (Digital Service Providers) and adding value for the entire music industry.