TikTok signs deal with Merlin to add a giant indie music selection

TikTok, which has exploded on the scene, is adding even more music for users to add to their published short-form videos.

TikTok has signed a deal with digital rights agency Merlin (via The Verge), which will see the platform adding a huge library of independent music for users. The deal will see the music made available to TikTok users immediately, which includes access to artists signed to indie record labels across the globe. The deal will see thousands of artists’ music made available to TikTok users.

Merlin is one of the most notable global digital rights agencies out there, and it has been licensing music to the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, and other services. This marks the first major deal of this nature for TikTok, and the additional music will surely help users continue to stand out and make viral content on a semi-regular basis.

It’s also rumored that TikTok is in the process of working out similar deals with other major labels out there, which would add even more music to the platform in the future.

This is huge news for TikTok and its user base because music is a huge element to the platform. It’s hard to find a video uploaded to the platform that doesn’t deal in some way with music. Artists like Lil Nas X bursted on the scene with the song “Old Town Road” due in part to TikTok and the platform’s reach.

Of course, a lot of TikTok videos also deal with lip syncing and dancing, so a broader music selection is certainly not a bad thing. And it’s not like TikTok is the only service doing something like this. Back in 2018 Instagram added music Stickers to Stories, letting users customize their uploads even more.

If you use TikTok, are you looking forward to a larger music selection?