TikTok is launching its new subscription-only music streaming service called “TikTok Music” in Australia, Mexico and Singapore. Today’s expansion comes almost two weeks after TikTok debuted the music streaming service in Brazil and Indonesia.
The streaming service lets users sync the service to their existing TikTok accounts and listen, download and share songs. The service includes the catalogs of major record companies, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music.
TikTok says it’s inviting users in Australia, Mexico and Singapore to participate in the TikTok Music closed beta test starting today. To join, users need to download the TikTok Music app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store or by visiting music.tiktok.com. All participants in the closed beta will receive a three-month free trial of the service.
The company told TechCrunch that a TikTok Music subscription costs AUD11.99 ($8.16 USD) per month in Australia, Mex$115 ($6.86 USD) in Mexico and S$9.90 ($7.48 USD) in Singapore.
TikTok hasn’t shared any details about when it plans to launch the streaming service in the United States, but says it will have more to share about the streaming service soon. It’s been over a year since TikTok parent company ByteDance filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a service called “TikTok Music.”
“TikTok Music is a new kind of music service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a music streaming service offering millions of tracks from thousands of artists,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email. “We are now beta testing TikTok Music in Australia, Mexico and Singapore, and will have more news to share on the launch of TikTok Music in the coming months.”
TikTok is already a popular tool for discovering music, and oftentimes can lead to songs rising in popularity after they’re used in viral videos and trends. By offering users a way to listen to and discover music, the company is directly competing with the likes of Spotify, Apple and Amazon.
The streaming service lets you listen to full versions of viral TikTok songs, discover personalized music recommendations, access lyrics in real time, create collaborative playlists with friends, import your music library and find songs via a lyrics search feature. TikTok Music features a Shazam-like functionality and also lets you download songs for offline listening. Plus, the service includes social features, as TikTok notes that users can express themselves through comments and connect with other music lovers.
