According to a reliable source, TikTok Owner ByteDance is working on an on-demand streaming music service fused with the mechanics of a social media platform.
The service could include a type of library and searchable video clips that can be synchronized to songs and sent to friends. A competitive edge comes in the form of a more affordable subscription fee in comparison to the one demanded by similar services, among which we can count Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.
At this point, ByteDance is negotiating with Sony, Universal and Warner to license music for the service. While it appears that the service is in the early stages of development a soft launch could take place soon in Brazil, India, and Indonesia. An international version could be released at some point in the future.
The move should not be a surprise since TikTok has been quite a hit among may users. More than one billion people have installed and use the TikTok app, and music is a key part of the success as many clips focus on shuffle and dance tutorials.
It will be interesting to see how the service will manage to attract people who already pay for a music subscription. The lower price and social features could be an effective hook in some cases, but casual users will need more reasons to make the switch in the long run.
This is not the first venture of the company in a different branch as it has also recently released its first smartphone. The Jianguo Pro 3 was built with the help of patents and employees acquired from a Chinese phone manufacturer known as Smartisan.
Chinese users will have the option to launch Douyin, the local version of the app, by swiping up on the lock screen. They can also use effects and filters for any video regardless of the length. It is only available in China for now.
