As TikTok continues its meteoric rise, more and more businesses are eager to tap into the platform‘s incredible potential for reaching younger audiences. With over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide and an average user session of 10.85 minutes, TikTok offers unparalleled opportunities for brands to connect with Gen Z and Millennials through creative, engaging short-form videos.
However, many businesses jumping on the TikTok bandwagon have quickly encountered a major roadblock: the platform‘s strict restrictions on commercial use of popular music. Attempting to use mainstream songs in branded content leads to the frustrating "This sound isn‘t licensed for commercial use" error message.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the ins and outs of TikTok‘s commercial sound policies from a tech and social media expert‘s perspective. We‘ll examine why these restrictions were put in place, how they compare to other social platforms, and most importantly—what workarounds and strategies businesses can use to still create impactful TikTok content without access to Top 40 hits.
The Basics of TikTok‘s Commercial Sound Restrictions
When TikTok first launched business accounts in 2020, many brands were thrilled at the prospect of marketing to the platform‘s huge, highly-engaged user base. But the excitement was tempered once companies realized that business accounts are blocked from using popular songs in their content.
Instead, commercial users can only utilize sounds from TikTok‘s pre-cleared "Commercial Music Library"—a collection of royalty-free tracks safe for use in branded videos. Any attempts to use copyrighted artist recordings are met with the "This sound isn‘t licensed for commercial use" error.
Personal creator accounts, meanwhile, maintain full access to TikTok‘s complete library of millions of licensed songs from popular artists. This discrepancy has been a source of frustration for many business users.
The Financial and Legal Logic Behind the Restrictions
So why does TikTok hamstring businesses with these commercial sound limitations? The primary reason comes down to money. Securing the rights to use licensed music in branded content and ads typically requires paying substantial fees to record labels, music publishers, and artists.
With TikTok now hosting over 200 million businesses on the platform, allowing them all to use mainstream music for free would likely cost TikTok an exorbitant amount in licensing expenses. As a social media expert at a major digital agency explains:
"TikTok‘s commercial sound restrictions are all about managing music licensing costs at scale. The fees to let every business have free rein to use any song would be astronomical and eat into TikTok‘s bottom line. The royalty-free commercial library is a way to provide ‘free‘ music to brands while controlling that cost. It‘s similar to how YouTube offers a library of free songs to creators to avoid copyright strikes."
There are also thorny legal issues around using licensed music in sponsored content without explicit permission. Record labels and artists could potentially sue businesses (and TikTok itself) for copyright infringement if popular songs are used in branded videos without the proper clearances.
TikTok‘s aggressive restriction of licensed music in business content helps protect the company from liability. As one music industry lawyer notes:
"Artists and labels are increasingly vigilant about unlicensed commercial usage of their music on social media. TikTok is smart to shift that responsibility to individual businesses and limit their own exposure by blocking copyrighted music in branded posts through automated systems."
How TikTok Stacks Up to Other Platforms
TikTok is hardly alone in policing use of licensed music on its platform, but its outright blocking of popular songs in business content is arguably the strictest approach among major social networks:
Instagram: Allows businesses to use mainstream music, but limits the reach of branded content containing copyrighted songs. Repeat violations can lead to account suspension.
YouTube: Uses the Content ID system to identify licensed songs in videos and may demonetize or block them, but no upfront ban on commercial use.
Twitter: Lets businesses use popular music but may remove content in response to copyright holder complaints. Branded tweets with unlicensed music are rare.
Facebook: Like Instagram, no upfront blocking but violations may be removed and reach throttled.
So while most social platforms have some form of commercial music usage controls, TikTok‘s hardline stance of barring licensed songs in business content altogether is uniquely stringent.
Strategies for TikTok Business Success Without Mainstream Music
Despite the music limitations, businesses can still build highly effective presences on TikTok by getting creative with their content strategies. Here are some tips for making engaging TikToks that steer clear of copyright snafus:
Leverage TikTok‘s Commercial Music Library: Invest time exploring the royalty-free songs available to find tunes that suit your brand‘s style and content. Many tracks are quite catchy and high-quality.
Create original sounds: Develop your own unique sound effects, jingles, voiceovers and dialog to use in videos instead of relying on pop hits. Memorable branded sounds can help you stand out.
Focus on visuals and storytelling: Make your content compelling through strong visuals and narratives that don‘t require music at all. How-to videos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and employee spotlights are great silent options.
Participate in sound-free trends: Keep an eye out for trending hashtags and challenges that work well as music-less videos and join in to expand your reach.
Partner with creators for exposure: Collaborate with influencers who can use mainstream music in their TikToks while tagging and shouting out your brand for wider awareness.
Real-World Examples of Businesses Thriving on TikTok
Some major brands have found massive success on TikTok despite the commercial sound restrictions by deploying smart workarounds:
Chipotle: Created the ultra-viral #ChipotleLidFlip challenge based around original audio of a Chipotle employee flipping a burrito bowl lid, garnering over 310 million views.
Sephora: Leans into original voiceover content showcasing products, as well as before & after visuals set to royalty-free music tracks.
Duolingo: The language app‘s mascot regularly appears in wacky skits incorporating original dialog and sounds, becoming a hugely popular TikTok ‘character.‘
These case studies demonstrate how focusing on strong visual storytelling, original audio elements, and owned IP can help brands circumvent music restrictions to great effect.
The Future Outlook for TikTok Sounds
Looking ahead, it‘s quite possible that TikTok may loosen its commercial sound policies as it explores more ways to monetize the platform‘s business user base. One option could be implementing a system akin to Facebook‘s Rights Manager that detects use of licensed music in branded posts and compensates artists by sharing ad revenue.
TikTok has already cut some provisional deals with record labels letting select brands use mainstream songs in exchange for a fee, so expanding these arrangements could be a path forward. As one industry analyst predicts:
"TikTok‘s current music restrictions risk alienating business users and stifling the platform‘s revenue growth. I believe they‘ll move towards a ‘freemium‘ model that keeps the royalty-free library but lets businesses ‘unlock‘ mainstream songs for a price. It‘ll be a lucrative new income stream."
Prevailing trends around social media monetization and pressure from the music industry may force TikTok to relax its sound rules in the coming years. But for now, businesses must work within the existing restrictions by getting creative with audio.
Key Takeaways for TikTok Business Success
TikTok‘s massive user base and deep engagement offer incredible marketing opportunities for businesses. But brands must adapt their strategies around the platform‘s commercial sound limitations by:
- Exploring royalty-free music that aligns with their style
- Developing original audio elements and focusing on strong visuals/storytelling
- Participating in music-free trends and hashtags
- Partnering with creators to leverage their music access
- Staying tuned for potential changes to TikTok‘s sound policies
By following these guidelines and looking to successful brand case studies for inspiration, businesses can make a major impact on TikTok without relying on Rihanna. The key is getting creative, staying flexible, and keeping a finger on the pulse of platform trends.
While the commercial sound restrictions can be frustrating, they‘re simply a reality of marketing on TikTok businesses must accept for now. But with the right strategies and a spirit of adaptability, your brand can still create winning TikTok content that resonates with your target audience—even if you can‘t add Taylor Swift as the soundtrack.
