‘We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Sony Music’: TikTok

Sony Music and TikTok have entered into a new licensing agreement.

TikTok will – as it does with other labels and rights holders – have access to Sony Music’s catalogue, while also working with the label to promote the major’s artists on its app.

It’s the first time that TikTok has publically announced a licensing agreement with one of the three major recorded music companies, per this blog post. It did, however, reveal global licensing agreements with Merlin and Believe earlier this year.

Although this week’s announcement didn’t mention the length of the deal, it follows shorter-term licenses between the video-sharing app and record labels and could mean more longer-term agreements with Universal Music, Warner Music and others are imminent.

“Short-form video clips have developed into an exciting new part of the music ecosystem that contributes to the overall growth of music and the way fans experience it”, Dennis Kooker said, president of global digital business and US sales at Sony Music.

“TikTok is a leader in this space and we are pleased to be partnering with them to drive music discovery, expand opportunities for creativity and support artist careers”.

TikTok’s global head Of music, Ole Obermann, added: “We are THRILLED to enter into this agreement with Sony Music so we can continue to work together to connect the incredible roster of Sony artists to new audiences and harness the power of TikTok.

“Especially during this time when the artist community is challenged to find new ways to reach fans with their music, we are committed to working together to do just that”.

Following the arrival of Ollie Wards in August, TikTok is now looking to hire about 100 staffers.