TikTok has announced that they will be closing their streaming service TikTok Music on November 28th to focus on the ‘add to music app’ feature.

Available on TikTok Music is the following statement which reads “We are sorry to inform you that TikTok Music will be closing on November 28, 2024. After this date, access to TikTok Music, including login, subscriptions, and all other functionalities, will no longer be available”

TikTok has also published the following deadlines current users should be aware of:

Transfer Your playlists: by October 28, 2024
Request Refunds: by November 28, 2024

Transfer Playlists

To transfer music and playlists from TikTok Music, TikTok recommends that current users use TuneMyMusic to transfer this data to another streaming service and warned that this can only be completed before the deadline of October 28, 2024.

Here’s a guide on how to move your music to Spotify using TuneMyMusic

Request a Refund

To request a refund please note that this process is different depending on how you access your subscription.

For Google Subscribers: If your subscription end date extends beyond November 28, 2024, a refund will be automatically processed on that date (no further action is required on your part). Please allow up to 7 business days for the refund to be credited to your account. You can also submit refund requests by November 28, 2024, through Google Play: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2479637?hl=en

For Apple Subscribers: Please send your refund request through Apple’s official channel by November 28, 2024: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204084

Please note: Users will no longer be able to access the premium service following a refund.

TikTok has also stated they will ensure any account information and personal data will be deleted automatically following the closure of the platform as well as any renewal payments.

After its launch in Brazil and Indonesia, TikTok Music quickly outperformed the popular streaming platform Resso, raising concerns that it could pose a threat to major players in the industry. TikTok Music then later became available in Australia, Singapore, and Mexico.

Increased Focus on ‘add to music app’

This closure is believed to be in response to TikTok’s partnerships with numerous streaming platforms and a drive to improve these relationships.

So far TikTok has partnered with Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music with more rumoured to come. The new focus on the “add to music app” feature will hopefully encourage and create more opportunities to partner with other providers. This feature is currently available in 180 countries.

In a statement, Ole Oberman, Global Head of Music Business Development, has said: “We will be closing TikTok Music at the end of November in order to focus on our goal of furthering TikTok’s role in driving even greater music listening and value on music streaming services, for the benefit of artists, songwriters and the industry.”

TikTok partnering with more music industry companies can only mean good things for artists, as according to data published by ByteDance company, over a quarter (27%) of the Top 100 singles in Germany in 2023 were viral on TikTok before entering the charts. Meaning TikTok is one of the most effective platforms at driving consumer traffic to third-party sites such as streaming services.

This news comes at a time when I believe many artists have less and less control. For a major player like TikTok to encourage its users to stream music outside their platform, where artists have more control, is definitely a step in the right direction.

Upload your music to streaming services for FREE using RouteNote