On Thursday, TikTok introduced an exciting new feature designed to make it easier for users to share music from popular streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify directly to the TikTok app. This new feature, called “Share to TikTok,” allows music lovers to post their favorite songs, albums, and playlists straight to TikTok. They can share this content in several ways, including on their personal feed, in TikTok Stories, or through direct messages to friends.
When users share music, it will include a link back to the streaming service where the music can be played. This means that if you discover a song on TikTok, you can easily switch over to your music app to listen to it. TikTok is already known for its influence on music trends, as many popular songs on the app often end up topping music charts. By allowing users to share music from their streaming services, TikTok enhances its ability to connect people with the songs and artists they love.
With the “Share to TikTok” feature, users can also use some of TikTok’s fun tools, like the green screen effect or Photo Mode, to make their posts more engaging. For instance, if you’re listening to a song on Spotify, you can share it by tapping the “Share” button, which is located in the bottom-right corner of the screen when you’re playing a song. Apple Music users can do something similar through its Share Sheet, which gives them options to post a video, share a photo, or send the music in a message.
Over the years, TikTok has become a major player in the music industry, changing how people discover new songs. Many tracks that gain popularity on TikTok eventually appear on major music charts like the Billboard Hot 100 or Spotify’s Viral 50. In fact, a significant portion of TikTok users—about 67%—report that they search for songs after hearing them on the app. TikTok’s relationships with music labels and artists help keep the platform filled with the latest releases.
At one point, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, considered launching its own music streaming service called TikTok Music to compete directly with Apple Music and Spotify. This idea was tested in a few markets but was ultimately abandoned in September. Instead, TikTok is focusing on encouraging users to discover music within its app. Previously, TikTok introduced a feature called “Add to Music App,” which allowed users to save songs they found on TikTok to their preferred music streaming service.
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Ole Obermann, TikTok’s Global Head of Music Business Development, explained that the launch of “Share to TikTok” is part of their ongoing effort to help users discover new music and promote artists. He noted that the earlier “Add to Music App” feature had already led to millions of saved tracks and billions of streams on partner music services. The new sharing feature is expected to enhance the experience for users and promote artists to the TikTok community.
This new feature may also help improve TikTok’s relationship with music streaming services, which previously viewed TikTok as a potential competitor. By facilitating sharing between the two platforms, TikTok is showing that it wants to work together with these services rather than compete against them.
Lindsey Kelt Zikry, TikTok’s Global Product Partnerships Lead, emphasized that creativity is essential to TikTok’s community. The “Share to TikTok” feature allows users to express themselves creatively while also enabling artists, authors, and podcasters to connect with their audiences on TikTok more easily.
In addition to TikTok’s new feature, Spotify has also been expanding its sharing capabilities. Recently, Spotify announced a partnership with Meta, allowing users to share songs from Instagram directly to Spotify with just a tap. Spotify already has integrations with other social media platforms like Snapchat and X, further enhancing the sharing experience for users.
