As you probably know, songs available to be used in TikTok videos are called “sounds” on the social media platform. Millions of sounds can be chosen to enhance TikTok content, and they’re available with a single click in the app’s video editor.
Sounds aren’t just useful for creating the vibrant, multi-faceted videos that TikTok has become known for. They can also help attract audiences. Many TikTok users search for “trending sounds,” potentially bringing in large numbers of viewers for videos that include them.
What you may not realize, though, is that there are two categories of TikTok sounds. The reason is simple, and it can be summed up in one word: copyright.
Types of Sounds on TikTok
Music can’t legally be used for any purpose that content creators choose. The songs’ writers or music studios own the rights to that work, and it must be licensed for use — normally for a negotiated fee. There’s a big distinction between personal use and commercial use, too; copyright owners generally charge much more if a business is using music to sell products.
That’s why there are two types of sounds on TikTok (and it’s also why you usually can’t upload your own music to the app). The sounds available to individual creators have been licensed for use in personal videos; there’s a separate library of “commercial sounds” available to businesses to use as soundtracks for their content.
When you have a personal TikTok account and are searching for songs to use in a video, you have access to all the music that’s been licensed and approved for general use on the app. The second library, however, doesn’t show up on your Record or Edit screens.
How Do You Use Commercial Sounds on TikTok?
It’s simple: you have to have a business account on the platform. There are more than a million songs in TikTok’s commercial library but different music has been licensed for commercial use, and only users with business accounts can see or use those sounds.
As a corollary, business users can’t use the personal music library; if they do, they may be penalized or banned. They also can’t upload their “own” music, because TikTok probably hasn’t licensed it.
In short, if you want to use commercial sounds in your TikTok content, you have to switch from a personal to a business account. Do that by going to your TikTok profile and navigating to Menu (the three horizontal lines icon) > Settings and privacy > Account, and then tapping “Switch to business account.”
Once that’s done, you’ll see the commercial sound library when you tap on “Add sound” while creating a video (most businesses will be doing that from TikTok’s Creative Center). You’ll first be asked the geographic area(s) where the business’s advertising campaign will run because not all songs have been licensed for use in all regions.
From there, you can filter results by genre, theme, mood, length, and other criteria; you can also search for specific sounds. However, don’t be surprised if some songs don’t show up in your search. As we’ve mentioned, not all music has been licensed for commercial use, particularly many recent or trending sounds. You may have to settle for another song in the same genre.
There’s plenty to choose from, though. Some recently released music has been licensed for commercial purposes by TikTok, and the categories available do include trending and new releases, as well as every other type of music.
Commercial sounds on TikTok aren’t as boring or stodgy as you might think. You’ll be surprised at how much choice you’ll have. Just remember that to avoid potential problems with the app, it’s best to stick to the commercial library and not try to circumvent the rules by using “your own” music in your TikTok posts.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.