TikTok has taken another step in its efforts to be an indispensable part of the music world, launching ‘Songwriter Features,’ a set of new tools to help songwriters highlight their work on the app.
Songwriters will now be able to register for a ‘Songwriter Account’ that will identify them as a songwriter in their profile, and will come with a ‘Songwriter Tab’ that will identify a selection of the songs they have written or co-written.
As a result, for the first time, songwriters’ work and their shared content on TikTok will live side by side on the app, TikTok announced on Thursday (July 17).
For the time being, the feature is rolling out in beta with a limited number of publisher partners. Though TikTok didn’t provide a full list of those partners, it appears that Warner Chappell Music, Kobalt Music, Reservoir Media and Sentric are among them.
Songwriters and publishers who want to join the beta test can fill out a waitlist form here.
“This marks a significant step toward boosting songwriter visibility on TikTok,” said Laura Willoughby, Director of Global Creative Services at Warner Chappell.
“We’re seeing a growing trend of music fans wanting to discover and follow the creators behind their favorite songs, and we’re proud to champion an initiative that enhances in-app songwriter and music discovery.”‘
“This marks a significant step toward boosting songwriter visibility on TikTok.”
Laura Willoughby, Warner Chappell
“Fans are increasingly fascinated not only with the artists they follow, but also with how songs are written, who’s behind them, and the creative journey that brings them to life,” added Derek Cournoyer, SVP, Global Digital Business, Kobalt Music.
“These new songwriter features tap into that curiosity by giving songwriters a dynamic way to showcase their work, and TikTok is leading the way in elevating how their contributions are recognized on digital platforms.”
“It’s encouraging to see a tech platform like TikTok recognizing and celebrating songwriters, and we are proud to support these efforts,” said Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and COO, adding that the indie music company’s participation in the beta rollout is part of its commitment to “staying ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, looking to new platforms and tools to elevate the impact of our catalog and the work of our songwriters.”
The new features also received plaudits from prominent songwriters, including KOLE (Kelly Clarkson, Meghan Trainor, Ingrid Michaelson, Jason Mraz, Mimi Webb), who said the features helped her to connect with fans “who might never have found me otherwise. They didn’t need to search – I appeared on their For You Page, letting them know I had a hand in making a song they already loved.”
“TikTok is unique in its ability to offer songwriters a way to highlight their musical works alongside their own content, helping them to tell stories about their music, their craft, and their lives.”
Jordan Lowy, TikTok
Lauren Christy (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Shakira, Avril Lavigne) added that “48% of all streaming revenue is created by independent artists, and that would have been impossible without the help of TikTok. I am cheering along as this amazing tech company TikTok celebrates songwriters!”
Jordan Lowy, Global Head of Music Publishing Licensing and Partnerships at TikTok, said the company is “passionately committed” to supporting songwriters.
“TikTok is unique in its ability to offer songwriters a way to highlight their musical works alongside their own content, helping them to tell stories about their music, their craft, and their lives, and to raise their profile and build their audience on TikTok, as hundreds of thousands of artist creators already do.”
TikTok’s Songwriter Features are not unlike the Songwriter Hub and Songwriter Pages that Spotify rolled out in 2020. Those features added ‘Written By’ playlists to the streaming platform, along with podcasts and special features devoted to songwriters.
For TikTok – which has become a major hub of music discovery over the past decade – this is the latest in a series of moves to better integrate the app with the music community and formalize its relationship with music companies.
Starting in 2023, it rolled out the ‘Add to Music App’ feature, which allows users to save a song they heard on TikTok to the music streaming platform of their choice, among them Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music. In May, SoundCloud became the latest streaming app to integrate with the feature.
Last year, TikTok began experimenting with in-app experiences coinciding with new album releases. Its first such experience tied in with the release of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
Last month, TikTok for Artists, an analytics tool, launched in 26 countries after being quietly beta-tested with a select group of artists.Music Business Worldwide
