TikTok has introduced Artist Certification in 18 territories, providing musicians with a streamlined way to identify themselves on the platform. This certification comes with access to exclusive promotional features and tools, enhancing the overall experience for artists. Notably, the certification is currently available in specific territories, and feature availability may vary depending on the region.

Available Territories

GB (United Kingdom), IE (Ireland), DE (Germany), JP (Japan), KR (South Korea), ANZ (Australia and New Zealand), US (United States), CA (Canada), FR(France), IT (Italy), ES (Spain), BR (Brazil), MX (Mexico), CO (Colombia), TR(Turkey), NG (Nigeria), LB (Lebanon), ZA (South Africa)

Activation Instructions

Artists can obtain certification directly through the TikTok app on their mobile devices by following the link here. During the application process, it is necessary to enter your artist name and locate your profile, followed by verifying the account with screenshots from an existing artist profile on a streaming or distribution platform. The requirements are listed on the relevant page (See the mobile images below).

Important – This process is not compatible with desktop devices. The approval process typically takes around 7-10 days.

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The Music Tab

The TikTok Music Tab, identifiable by the music symbol, is a key feature for certified artists. It serves as a centralised space displaying all of an artist’s official TikTok sounds. To be eligible for this feature, artists must be certified and have delivered three tracks to TikTok through the supply chain. The Music Tab allows artists to showcase their latest releases prominently by pinning them to the top of the tab.

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“By Artist” Feature

With the “By Artist” feature, artists can pin their own videos or a video of their choice in the first or second slot on the music detail page. This adds a personalised touch to their profile and allows for strategic content placement.

TikTok Artist Certification 1

New Release and Artist Tags

The ‘Artist’ tag is automatically applied to a profile when the ‘Artist Account’ status is active. This means the artist is certified, has the Music Tab enabled, and has delivered three or more tracks to TikTok through the supply chain. The tag ensures easy identification for users and potential new fans.

The ‘New Release’ tag is a dynamic feature designed to highlight and promote an artist’s new music. Videos containing their most recent release will display a ‘New’ tag. This tag also appears on the music detail page for the artist’s latest release and other releases.

Leveraging TikTok Artist Accounts to Grow Your Music Career

TikTok has become a powerful platform for musicians to connect with new fans and break through the noise. The social video app recently introduced Artist Accounts, giving music creators free tools to maximize discovery and promotion on TikTok.

What are TikTok Artist Accounts?

Artist Accounts serve as a digital hub for music on TikTok. Any artist or band that has released music can sign up. According to TikTok, the accounts allow fans to:

Benefits of TikTok Artist Accounts

Artists gain access to a suite of features designed to boost discovery, promotion, and fan engagement. Some of the top tools include:

Artist Tag

Identify yourself as a musician on TikTok. Get the verified tag by uploading at least 4 songs. This lets fans easily find artists on the platform.

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New Release Feature

Highlight a new single, album or remix for up to 14 days before and 30 days after its release date. Get placement on music discovery pages to amplify awareness.

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Music Tab

Curate your entire catalog in one centralized hub. Keep fans up to date as you automatically add new music releases.

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Pin a Post

Pin a favourite video, like one promoting an upcoming drop, at the top of your profile for increased visibility.

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Behind the Songs

Give fans insight into your creative process. Stories help connect listeners on a deeper level and foster loyalty.

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How to Claim Your Free Artist Account

Signing up takes just a few taps via the TikTok mobile app. Don’t miss out on these powerful promotion and discovery tools. Open this link on your phone.

Unveiling the Power of TikTok’s “New Release” Feature

Welcome to a fresh and innovative way to spotlight your latest music on TikTok. The “New Release” feature is designed to enhance your music on the platform like never before! With this exciting addition, your latest tracks will gain increased visibility and engagement, ensuring your fans are always in the loop with your newest releases.

How the TikTok “New Release” Feature Works

  1. Automatic Application of “New” Tag: When you launch a new track on TikTok, our platform will automatically apply the “new” tag to your song in three crucial areas within the app:
    • Sound Detail Page: Your new track will be distinctly marked with a “new” tag, grabbing the attention of fans who visit the Sound’s Detail Page.
    • For You Page: Every video that features your new song will display the “new” tag, ensuring your latest music is prominently showcased on the For You Page.
    • Music Tab: Your new release will also be displayed with the “new” tag within the music tab, making it easier for fans to discover and engage with your latest tracks.
  2. Highlight and Pin Your New Release: As an artist, you now to highlight and pin your new release within your Music Tab. This means your latest release will be given prime visibility, creating maximum exposure for your fanbase.

Setting Up the TikTok “New Release” Feature

Maximizing the Impact of Your New Release

The TikTok “New Release” feature is a powerful tool for artists looking to promote their latest music. By understanding how to set up and make the most of this feature, you can ensure your new songs get the visibility and engagement they deserve. So, get ready to take your music promotion to the next level with TikTok’s “New Release” feature!

Let There Be House – playlist by NOXU Music Group | Spotify

In the last couple of weeks Kanye West is using his twitter platform to talk about how he is trying to get control of all of his recording and publishing rights back. As part of his very public campaign, West came with a eight-part description of what he sees as fair record and publishing deals.

1. The artist owns the copyright in the recordings and songs

2. The record label / publisher is a service provider

If you sign a deal with a major label this could be a great starting point on the position a label has over your created work. For independent labels or artists this is very hard to realize due to the simple fact they have a smaller say in the amount they get from streaming services. a 50/50 split or 40/60 for independent labels would be more suitable and sustainable for both parties involved.

3. Dependants

For sure you as the creator knows you music and the end goal you want to reach. Advise and legal advice is always important to take note of and let you be inspired by take your own conclusions and follow your own paths. Just be vocal and stand up for your own rights.

4. Lawyers

5. Equity and blanket licenses

A blanket license is where a record label (or any group of owners) can authorize a set of rights to the user such that the user does not need to acquire specific permits. In certain ways that are used, blanket licenses make music licensing simpler for the licensing group. As an example, TikTok and Facebook have complete licenses to use music on their platforms. In much the same way, bars and restaurants obtain blanket licenses from ASCAP and BMI to play songs at their establishments.
Without a general license, Facebook and TikTok would need to obtain individual licensing applications from all artists on their own; a process that would take time, effort, and energy. Blanket Licenses are a simple, inexpensive solution to a problem that is otherwise very difficult to solve.

The power that major labels have over digital stores and streaming platforms is unheard of! having so much leverage on a platform that they can decide how much and how quickly they get payed where as an independent gets just the scraps that the majors left behind. take a look at this tweet by Cherie Hu who exposed the injurious equity the majors have 

6. ADVANCES ARE JUST LOANS!!

Never take an advance even if it’s an offer you can’t resist. These loans you get are the things that kill artists and be also vigilant for the recouple fees that can and will be withheld from your royalties. Release parties, dinners, or drinks with the label executives can then all be withheld from your royalties and you would never know that it’s happening.

7. Royalties and delivery

As West is saying “It sounds basic and logical”. Sadly this is not the truth many labels and there distributors pay per quarter and you have no real sight on your stream. Spotify for artist gives you fairly good overview of streams and territory but many other can stil learn a lot from them. As an label to track all this data from all the different stores is almost impossible and we should look at ways to change this.

8. Portals

This is why we need blockchain in the music industry decentralise all your assets and over time give it all back to the owner and or have a contract renewal. Artist should own there work and there creative expression.

Pssttt… Don’t tell anyone, but we have all the inside secrets from Facebook themselves.

Last month we attended the Facebook Loves Music event at the Facebook headquarters in London. A premiere event that we couldn’t turn down and we hope there will be many more to come. We found it so beneficial and interesting, we just can’t keep it to ourselves any longer!

So, here’s an exclusive, yep you better feel special, only the best for you, with all the key information and facts we found out.

Social media is continually increasing at a fast pace and people’s attention span is getting shorter and shorter, everyone is adapting, therefore their attention span is decreasing rapidly. That’s right, we now have the attention span of a gold fish. Not nice to hear is it? Although it is true. But this being said, we do hope we can keep your attention for just a little longer to help your platforms grow to their full potential. 

Prepare yourself, we have another shocking fact coming your way. Did you know in a day, on social media, the average person scrolls through the equivalent to the whole length of Big Ben in London. You might deny that you even do it yourself, but time flies when you’re scrolling through.

Now imagine how much content per second is scrolled – this is mind blowing and means you have about 1sec or less to capture your audience in the blink of an eye. Not long at all. So, grab ATTENTION!! FAST!! And make sure it counts. EVERY TIME!!

The ways in which audiences view social media (Three types of people)
We wonder which one you are? Maybe you are one of these, or a mixture of all?
70% On the go users (Pitch) fast content viewers with short attention span.
20% Learn forward (Play) looking through socials with slightly better attention span but not fully focused.
10% Lean back (Plunge) really looking through and taking all the information in.

How do I grab attention? Always make sure you broaden your horizons. It may sound cliche but when living and breathing the music industry, we know it can be hard to seek ideas or inspiration from other market sectors when your drowning in your own. But why not take full advantage of it all? Use all industries to help your expansion. It can really help outside the box thinking. For example, Fast Food chains. Yes, you read that right. Fast Food chains are always ahead of the game when it comes to social media, using all capabilities of their platforms in the most effective way. 

To make it easier for you, here are a few accounts to check out right now
McDonald’s – Stories are always engaging and on point. Taking an interesting flip on how to use GIFs/Emoji’s to tell a story.
KFC – Although some of you might not have agreed with the set Colonel Sanders played at Ultra Music Festival. They have certainly made a brand character and image for themselves that is universally recognised and playful through their platforms.
Burger King- Consistent images and colour use throughout, instantly recognisable to their audience, even without any logo branding, you’d still know who posted the content.

Not a fast food chain, but another interesting one.
Melody VR – Innovative VR company, check out their video content on socials which have consistent layouts and similar style throughout. They know how to make content stand out. You can’t miss them!

Make your life easier
Tools and Resources you need to check out, go give them a quick google:
Partner Portal
Studios @ FB
Creator Studio 
CrowdTangle

Top tips to take away

Videos are great, but have you ever considered the people who are seeing them with the sound muted? Creating information and content for sound off is such an important consideration. A lot of people forget this aspect, but not anymore, right?

If the music is fast paced make sure the images/video clips represent this by the way they move, allowing rhythm. Makes sense? Think about it that way, the style can be seen without been heard. Think how many times you have watched a video with the sound off or scrolled passed one with the sound off. A lot!!

Top Tips on making videos

Design:

Frame:

Play:

So next time you go to post on your socials, STOP! Remember these inside secrets, and they will be sure to increase your success rate every single time. Trust Facebook, they know what they’re talking about.