Rumor: TikTok is working on Spotify competitor

TikTok wants consumers to use its platform not only to discover creators; in the future, it wants to deploy its AI to let users discover numbers as well. That is already possible with songs that TikTok users remix in their videos. TikTok Music goes a step further, reports Insider. ByteDance – the parent company of TikTok – has since registered the corresponding “TikTok Music” trademark in the US and Australia.

Spotify-competitor van TikTok

For Bytedance, TikTok Music is not his first entry into the streaming industry. In 2020, just before the start of the corona crisis, the company launched Resso: its outright Spotify competitor. According to the patent information filed with the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office), Resso will provide the ability to purchase, play, share and download music (albums). Also, which can be found in the trademark application, TikTok’s Music service offers the possibility to follow live streams and customize playlist covers to your liking.

This makes TikTok Music’s range of functions comparable to Resso, which is currently only available in the Indian and Brazilian markets. Users in these countries are also forwarded to Resso to listen to entire music tracks from TikTok. It is unknown whether ByteDance plans to use Resso as the basis for TikTok Music. It is also unknown where this streaming service will be released.

Not just a placeholder

ByteDance filed the trademark application with the USPTO on May 9. According to Insider, such a request means that the Chinese software giant actually intends to use the trademark. For a trademark application it is required that a company demonstrates that it has plans in place to actively use the name.

Should TikTok Music actually come to life, the service will be able to hold its own in a crowded playing field, with Spotify and Apple Music as main competitors. The company will probably be able to use its combination with TikTok as a trump card. In addition, the company can leverage its AI to make smarter recommendations to listeners.