The short-form video platform, TikTok, has announced the renewal of its agreement with the world’s second-largest music label company– Sony Music Entertainment to make its wide catalog of songs available for use by creators on its platform. Songs from artists like Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Alicia Keys, OutKast and Mariah Carey will now be available to use on the TikTok app.
“This is an exciting step forward in the level of collaboration between the two companies. With this deal, the TikTok creator community will have access to sound clips from Sony Music’s massive catalog of current hits, cutting edge new releases, emerging favorites, iconic classics and deep cuts from every genre of music for use in their TikTok content,” said TikTok in a blog post.
The new agreement looks beyond just the availability of Sony’s offerings on TikTok. The two companies will also partner to “support greater levels of TikTok user personalization and creativity on the platform”. The two will work to increase fan engagement with Sony Music Entertainment’s artists and songs on TikTok.
TikTok says, its platform is growing to become a launchpad for budding musicians and artists and helps them reach a wider audience. The agreement will allow artists under the Sony Music Entertainment label to “create greater awareness for their music and further enhance artist careers” on TikTok. The ByteDance owned company will also promote Sony Music’s artists on the platform.
Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment said, “Short-form video clips have developed into an exciting new part of the music ecosystem that contribute to the overall growth of music and the way fans experience it. TikTok is a leader in this space and we are pleased to be partnering with them to drive music discovery, expand opportunities for creativity and support artist careers.”
According to a report by Billboard, TikTok is paying more for the new agreement than it did for the previous one in April this year. It currently has short term agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which are said to be shorter than the usual 18-24 month agreements. The Chinese short-form video platform also has a global licensing deal with Merlin Network that it had signed in January, to gain rights to music from its 900 members, including more than 20,000 independent labels.
Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music for TikTok said, “We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Sony Music so that we can continue to work together to connect the incredible roster of Sony artists in the US and across the globe to new audiences and harness the power of TikTok. Especially during this time when the artist community is challenged to find new ways to reach fans with their music, we are committed to working together to do just that.”
