TikTok has added a new way to credit songwriters for their contributions, as another expansion of its music elements.
As you can see in these examples, songwriters will now get direct accreditation in the app, with users able to discover songs that they’ve created in a separate profile tab.
As explained by TikTok:
“The new features mean that songwriters’ musical works and their shared content will sit side-by-side in one place on TikTok for the first time, giving songwriters the opportunity to highlight the works they have written or co-written, to share stories about their work, their music and their lives, and to help fans of their music to explore, use, share and save further works from their catalogue.”
So rather than just the performers getting all the credit, TikTok’s looking to ensure that songwriters also get some shine, which could help them build their own fan base in the app.
TikTiok says that it developed the new features in response to feedback from songwriters as part of a recent survey.
“The survey findings have informed the design of the TikTok Songwriter Features, with the goal of improving discovery, monetisation opportunities and raising the profile of songwriters on TikTok.”
So it’s not just discovery, but also monetizaton that TikTok’s looking to expand upon, giving more music creators more opportunity to grow in the app.
TikTok has emerged as a key platform for music discovery, with a recent report showing that 84% of the songs that reached the Billboard 200 list in 2024 first gained traction in the app.
U.S. TikTok users are also 74% more likely to discover and share music in the app, and the record industry now relies on TikTok trends to help drive discovery and reach. Indeed, some record labels have even changed the names of songs to better align with TikTok trends, while many trending artists have emerged from TikTok clips.
Given its growing influence in this respect, this is a smart addition, providing more impetus for more creators to feed into the TikTok sphere, and rely on the app for promotion and connection.
Of course, if TikTok eventually ends up banned in the U.S., that would be problematic in this respect. But that doesn’t look like happening, which means that TikTok will remain a key music discovery platform for some time.
TikTok’s new songwriter features are launching today in closed beta with a limited number of publisher partners. Songwriters and publishers who are interested in the option can sign up to the waitlist (EU / US / ROW).
