TikTok insiders have revealed that TikTok has filed a new patent for a music app. Considering how intertwined music discovery is with TikTok, it would not be surprising if TikTok goes ahead with this potentially huge project.
ByteDance filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for “TikTok Music” in May. ByteDance is TikTok’s parent company, and according to the documents, the service would let users purchase, share, download, and play music. It would also allow users to create, share, and recommend playlists, comment on music, and Livestream video and audio. ByteDance already filed for a “TikTok Music” trademark in Australia last November.
In 2020, ByteDance launched a music streaming app, Resso, in Indonesia, India, and Brazil. Resso has some of the same features described in the “TikTok Music” filing, such as creating playlists and sharing songs on social media.
Resso had over 40 million monthly users across Brazil, Indonesia, and India as of November 2021, which is likely to grow. In early 2022, a report from Insider revealed that Resso’s monthly active users grew by 304% from January 2021 in India alone.
It is unclear whether ByteDance plans on developing a music streaming app based on the Resso framework. Just like TikTok had a profound impact on how social media sites operate, it’s possible that music streaming apps with TikTok ties-ins could change the music streaming industry.
We’ll have to wait and see.
