Ever watched a TikTok video and liked a song, then had to go out and find it on Spotify or Apple Music? You may soon be able to skip this extra step. According to a recently filed patent, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance wants to develop TikTok’s music service. Seems like a very natural move for the application.
In May 2022, ByteDance filed a trademark application for “TikTok Music” with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It will have the option to “buy, play, share, download music, songs, albums, lyricsIn addition, TikTok Music will provide the option to “live audio and video streaming», «edit and upload playlist cover photo” and from “comment on music, songs and albums“.
Although this trademark application was filed in May, the idea has been around for a long time. Byte Dance filed for the trademark in November in Australia, but the company already has a streaming app, “Resso,” in the Indian, Brazilian and Indonesian markets.
Resso has been doing really well since last year. A button has been added to the TikTok app to allow Resso users to switch to the service to listen to the full song. There are clear plans to steer users away from the free TikTok app and redirect them to a music subscription service. However, a former Resso employee said the Chinese-owned TikTok app was banned in India due to political disputes between India and China.
Byte Dance also has plans outside of the music service TikTok. The trademark list includes applications that allow users to “broadcast live audio and video interactive media programming in the fields of entertainment, fashion, sports and current affairs“.
Will TikTok Music be successful?
It made sense to skip India’s troubles and branch out into the lucrative Australian and US markets, and use the name “TikTok Music” to cash in on the name’s success. However, ByteDance had to overcome another hurdle in the United States.
ByteDance must demonstrate that it uses the trademark for the services mentioned in the app or that it intends to use it to sell products to comply with trademark laws. For this reason, “companies the size of TikTok or ByteDance will only file trademark applications for items that are taken seriouslysaid Josh Gerben, trademark attorney, Gerben Law Firm.
Also, the FCC is trying to get the App Store and Google Play to drop the TikTok app for security reasons. It looks like they wouldn’t want a TikTok Music service that would allow users to stay with the app for longer.
TikTok proves something I often mention in my articles: cross-pollination of tech companies. Soon, they will all be offering the same service. They all seem to emulate the success of others, and sometimes fight for it in court.
What’s interesting is the impact TikTok Music has on other music services, such as Apple Music and Spotify.. Currently, if you use TikTok and want to listen to the song in its entirety, you will need to switch to one of the other apps to listen to it. ByteDance’s plan will entice users to stick with TikTok.
