What is a TikTok Music Profile?
A TikTok Music Profile allows artists to showcase their original music directly on their TikTok profile page. According to TikTok’s newsroom, this type of profile “enhances visibility by allowing an artist to pin a preferred post to the top of the discovery page, driving awareness to their music.”
The profile gives artists access to music-focused analytics so they can track the performance of their music content. As TikTok notes, artists with a music profile can “access data on which songs are trending, number of video creations using the artist’s music, and more.”
Obtaining a TikTok Music Profile also verifies an artist’s identity on the platform. As Wiseband states, “By obtaining this certification, artists unlock an array of benefits, including an automated music tab showcasing their tracks directly on their profile.” The blue checkmark signals to viewers that the account belongs to the authentic artist.
Why Claim Your TikTok Music Profile?
Claiming your profile on TikTok gives you several key benefits as an artist. Most importantly, it gives you more visibility and reach by clearly identifying you as the creator of your music (1). Your profile gains verification, ensuring users know they’ve found the official presence of an artist when they come across your page.
Claiming your profile also unlocks promotional tools only available to verified music creators, like being able to add links and hashtags to your profile to drive traffic and engagement (2). You can share your music and content more widely by tapping into TikTok’s massive audience.
Additionally, claiming your profile lets you get proper credit for your original music. By having an official, verified presence, your work is more protected from unauthorized use, and your music is clearly attributed to you. This can be important for increasing discovery and potential licensing opportunities.
(1) https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/how-to/how-to-claim-your-tiktok-artist-profile
(2) https://faq.recordjet.com/en/articles/8368217-tiktok-artist-account
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to claim a TikTok music profile, you must meet the following requirements:
Have an artist profile or music page on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or SoundCloud. This shows TikTok you have an established presence as a musical artist.
Show verification that you own the rights to your music. This could include showing your copyright registration, distribution service contracts like DistroKid, or direct licenses from publishers.
Having clear proof you own or control the music you want linked to your profile is crucial for TikTok to verify your eligibility.
How to Apply
To apply for a TikTok Music Profile, you need to submit an application form and materials directly through the TikTok app. Here are the steps:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right. Select “Creator Tools” from the menu.
2. In Creator Tools, tap on “Musician Tools” and then select “Apply for Artist Account”.
3. Fill out the application form with your artist name, links to music profiles on other platforms, and a bio summarizing your music career.
4. Upload verification documents like passports, performance contracts, or label agreements to prove your artist identity.
5. Link to at least 4 original songs that are uploaded to TikTok under your account. These will be reviewed as part of your application.
6. Agree to the TikTok Artist Account terms and conditions.
7. Submit your application. TikTok will review it and respond within 30 days.
It’s important to provide as much verified information as possible to showcase you are an official artist. The review process examines your existing presence and track record in music. Citing sources like this TikTok press release can help provide guidance on application best practices.
Application Review Process
After submitting your TikTok Music profile application, it can take several weeks for TikTok to thoroughly review and verify your eligibility. According to sources, the review process aims to confirm you meet TikTok’s requirements for an official artist, creator, or label profile.
As part of the review, TikTok may reach out and ask you to provide additional verification materials to showcase your authenticity as a music artist, creator, or label representative. This additional verification can include links to your official website, social media profiles, press articles about your work, and discographies or bios highlighting your music industry background.
The review aims to confirm all profile applicants meet TikTok’s eligibility standards. Therefore, providing clear and accurate verification materials when requested can help speed up the approval process. Expect a waiting period of at least a few weeks as TikTok thoroughly vets all music profile applications.
Profile Customization
TikTok allows artists to extensively customize their profile once it has been approved and claimed. This is an important step, as optimizing your profile helps attract new fans and create brand consistency.
After your TikTok artist profile is approved, you gain access to features like adding a profile photo, bio, links, and hashtags. Profile photos specifically allow artists to establish their brand aesthetics. The bio presents a space to share your artist story and connections to find you on other platforms. Links are especially useful to drive traffic to your website or store.
You can also add hashtags representing your genre, instruments, influences, location, or other defining tags. Hashtags help fans discover your content. TikTok recommends sticking to 5-10 main hashtags that are closely related to your music and brand identity.
Overall, customizing your profile provides control over how you present yourself as an artist on TikTok. Take the time to format your presence in an appealing way that attracts fans who will genuinely enjoy engaging with your content.
Sources:
Getting Started As An Artist on TikTok | Creator Portal
Content Best Practices
To gain maximum exposure and engagement on TikTok as a musician, it’s important to follow best practices when creating and sharing content featuring your music. Here are some key tips:
Post high-quality videos featuring your music – Whether you create original videos or use fan-generated content, ensure the video quality is high. Avoid pixelated, blurry, or shaky videos. Use good lighting, framing, and stabilization when filming original content. Feature at least 30 seconds of full, clear audio of your track.
Engage with fans through Lives, Q&As, etc. – Interact with your audience in real time via TikTok Live streams, Q&A sessions in captions, reacting to fan videos, and commenting. This helps build authentic connections with fans.
Overall, focus on sharing entertaining, creative videos that highlight your music in new ways fans will love. Making content specifically for TikTok and engaging directly with your audience are key best practices for musicians finding success on the platform.
Promotion Opportunities
TikTok offers various opportunities to promote your music profile once it has been claimed and verified. One of the main ways is by getting your songs included on TikTok’s curated playlists like TikTok Spotlight. These playlists are followed by millions of users, so having your track featured can result in a huge boost in streams and followers.
According to this article, the key to getting on these coveted playlists is having songs that are already performing well and getting engagement on TikTok. Popular songs tend to get added, so focus on building an audience and encouraging user-generated content featuring your music.
Another great promotional avenue is working directly with brands for sponsored content and partnerships. Since TikTok is such a powerful platform for advertising, many brands are eager to tap into the massive userbase. If your profile is large and influential enough, you may have opportunities to get paid for promoting products in your content while also showcasing your music.
Analytics
TikTok provides robust analytics for music profiles so creators can better understand their audience and optimize their content. After claiming your TikTok music profile, you can view profile traffic, song plays, user demographics, and more by tapping the three dots on your profile and selecting “Creator Tools”, then “Analytics” (Source).
Key analytics available include:
- Profile views
- Follower growth
- Content views and engagement
- Song plays
- User demographics like age, gender, and location
- Traffic sources
Reviewing your TikTok analytics regularly can help you identify top performing songs and content types to guide your future content strategy. You can also tailor content to resonate with your target audience demographics. Optimizing your profile and songs based on data insights can help maximize profile growth and music discovery on TikTok. (Source)
Troubleshooting Issues
If your TikTok Music Profile application gets rejected, you can appeal the decision by reaching out to TikTok support and providing additional details on why you meet the eligibility requirements according to TikTok’s guidelines. Be sure to thoroughly explain your situation.
If you find copyright violations or unauthorized use of your music on TikTok, you can report it by tapping the “Report” button on the video and selecting “Copyright issue”. You can also submit a copyright complaint form on TikTok’s support site. TikTok issues strikes against repeat copyright infringers, up to terminating accounts in some cases according to their repeat infringer policy.
If you have any other issues with your TikTok Music Profile, you can get help directly from TikTok by contacting their support team through the app or visiting the TikTok support site. Provide details on the specific problem so they can troubleshoot the issue.
