TikTok is currently the fastest growing video platform, and in 2019 it became the most downloaded video app in the world. Over the past two years we've seen it help launch stars at breakneck speed, and since most videos on the platform rely heavily on music it's critical to make sure your music is available for TikTok creators to use. To that end, we're happy to announce that Quarterlab can make your entire musical catalog available to TikTok's users across the globe. Continue reading to find out how you can get your music included on their service, as well as some general best practices around using TikTok as a video creator.

For the uninitiated, TikTok easily allows creators to select music from a library and create their own short-form videos on top of those soundtracks. Many of the videos feature lip syncing, challenges, and stunts based on the lyrics of the music. While many artists are creating these short-form videos and developing TikTok profiles in their own right, just about anyone who makes music should become familiar with the platform and understand why it's important to the music industry. Musicians can become famous without ever making a video on TikTok if they just provide the right soundtrack, especially since the platform seems to have been built from the ground up to make content go viral.

In terms of engagement, TikTok has some very impressive stats. The average user spends around 61 minutes per day on the app. This is more than any other social media/video app, and ranks about 20 minutes more per day than users of Facebook and Instagram. TikTok users open the app 8+ times per day on average and 50% of monthly active users post videos weekly. The app also gets 100 billion average monthly video views. Like most social platforms, users can like, share, comment on and subscribe to their favorite content.

However, in contrast to other popular platforms, TikTok is one of the only mobile video apps that features “audio on” for all videos all the time. This means audio is very important on TikTok, and since TikTok started off as a karaoke app (formerly known as musical.ly) music is by far the most important feature. Currently TikTok has over 450 million active monthly users in the world with 40 million active monthly users coming from the U.S. alone. The platform is most popular with Gen Z and Millennial audiences, with 66% of it’s users being 13-24 yrs old. But that audience is expanding and now 31% of users are between the ages of 25-44. 

If you are brand new to using TikTok as a video creator, check out below for  some best practices to help get you started:

• Customize your avatar and create your handle. Add your bio and link your social accounts.
• The ideal video length on TikTok is 10-17 seconds long. 
• All videos should be optimized for vertical full screen viewing. It’s recommended that you shoot your videos in vertical, or at least edit the videos to appear vertical. 
• Discover what kinds of content resonate with TikTok users, and use that information to find your creative focus. Check out the trending hashtags in TikTok's Discover tab for fresh ideas.
• Try out the creative effects suite, editing tools and experiment with creating content using sounds from the Sounds page.
• It’s recommended you shoot the videos with a mobile device and keep it authentic and casual.

If you have music that you want to deliver to TikTok, please reach out to us so we can make your latest priority songs available on the service. Please note that it can take up to 48 hrs for content to go live on TikTok, and urgent releases should be delivered at least 3 business days prior to the release date. Songs can be used in 15 second, 30 second, and 60 second clips, and the clip of a song can be trimmed and customized. If you're a Quarterlab client and would like to create an official artist profile on TikTok, please contact us for more details.

For people interested in advertising to TikTok's massive audience - you're in luck. TikTok offers a variety of advertising opportunities which include Branded Takeovers, TopView Videos, and In-Feed Video. The Branded Takeover showcases your brand immediately when users open TikTok. These ads are 3-5 seconds and have no sound. TopView Videos are similar to the Branded Takeovers, but instead can be a 5-60 second video which does include audio. The third format, In-Feed Video, looks and feels like a regular TikTok post and appears in the 'For You' feed of the app. If you are interested in advertising on TikTok, please contact us and we can discuss rates and other specifics.