TikTok launches music app in Brazil and Indonesia – 7/6/2023 – Tech

ByteDance, owner of TikTok, announced this Thursday (6) the launch of its music service: TikTok Music. Only available in Brazil and Indonesia for now, the app will be paid and ad-free.

The subscription will cost BRL 16.90 for the individual version and BRL 26.90 for the family plan. Students pay half. The annual package costs R$ 159.90.

The announcement of the new app comes months before the retirement of ByteDance’s previous streaming service, Resso, which will be phased out in September. The platform’s page on the Play Store accumulates criticism after restricting, in May, access to full songs for those with a free account.

“It was much better when you had the option of at least watching ads to listen to the songs, but now they only provide a small excerpt”, commented Android cell phone owner, Wagner Barbosa, on the Play Store.

Competing apps Spotify (205 million subscribers) and Deezer (9.4 million) operate on a freemium model, with free accounts subject to digital advertising and subscribers. TikTok’s parent company does not disclose the number of Resso subscribers.

wanted by SheetByteDance states that the decision to end the free version was made with the aim of offering the best audio experience: no ads, with high quality sounds, the option to download songs for offline listening, the availability of lyrics and dual playlist playback, plus social features like likes, comments, and recommendations.

“Alongside the benefits for users, the decision aimed to expand opportunities and revenue for artists and rights holders”, says the company in a note.

TikTok Music says it will also offer more integration between users. Additionally, people will be able to use music liked on TikTok to guide music selections made by ByteDance’s algorithm.

One of the criticisms of Resso was the censorship of swearing and profanity. ByteDance told the Sheet that explicit songs will be on the platform, but users will be able to hide them from their recommendation lists.

The streaming service’s catalog includes major labels Universal, Warner and Sony, as well as smaller and independent titles. It’s still impossible to compare the available music with the competition.

ByteDance sells TikTok Music as a music social network, with the ability to leverage the hit discovery offered by TikTok. The application has become a central element of dissemination in the music industry, with dances and viral.

TikTok users will be able to download songs known from videos on TikTok Music and share the tracks with members of their community — another communication feature available in ByteDance streaming. The communities will function as discussion forums.

Other options present in the competition, such as lyrics in real time and collaborative playlists, are also present in TikTok Music.

TikTok’s controller did not respond to the report’s question whether the streaming application would allow playlists to be created with profanity in the title or description – which is prohibited on Resso.