Business Insider first reported on the discovery of the TikTok Music trademark application late last week. The trademark application comes with a description of a mobile app that allows users to “purchase, play, share, download music, songs, album, lyrics”. The trademark was filed in the US on 9 May, but the report states that the same was done in Australia all the way back in November last year. While TikTok Music, should it launch with the name, may be something new, it’s not a first for ByteDance. The company already has a music streaming platform called Resso, although this only operates in three countries – Brazil, India and Indonesia. And according to The Information, in the first one specifically, music that appear in TikTok clips get a button that guides users to the full track on Resso.
Something like this makes sense for ByteDance since it can get users of a free service to potentially be a paid subscriber in another service of its own. But it remains to be seen if the company can make its music platform offer something that the existing competition can’t. And while the trademark filing mentions the ability to buy music, it’s worth noting that it’s not something that’s available across the board right now. Spotify used to sell songs and albums in certain markets, but have done away with it entirely, whereas Tidal still allows subscribers to buy albums in addition to their subscription. You can sort of do this with Apple Music too, since the company directs you to iTunes. (Source: USPTO, Business Insider, The Information via The Verge, Resso, Spotify, Tidal)
