Dos and Don'ts of Using TikTok's Music Library as a Business Account

Chances are you're familiar (or frustrated!) with how music works on TikTok for businesses.

But if you're new to the rules, we'll catch you up to speed.

A few years back, TikTok introduced its Commercial Music Library. This library offers over 1 million pre-approved tracks to be used for advertising purposes. Nice, right?

The catch? This rollout meant that brands could no longer use many of TikTok’s trendiest sounds. 

Fast-forward to now and many brands still aren’t 100% sure which audio is allowed. There’s a ton of conflicting information but we’re here to set the record straight!

Below we explain the best practices for brands using TikTok audio, plus pitfalls to avoid.

Who is Required to Use TikTok’s Commercial Music Library?

All advertising-related content should use songs from the Commercial Music Libary.

This includes posts by brands, except for original audio and voiceovers.

No surprises here! TikTok’s guidelines are crystal clear about this:

The Commercial Music Library is for TikTok users that use TikTok for marketing, advertising, sponsorships, endorsements, or publicity, including official brand accounts . . .

Translation? Business accounts are restricted to TikTok’s pre-approved audio, full-stop.

Below is an example of a branded video featuring a trending song from the Commercial Music Library. This post shows how businesses are meant to incorporate audio into their content.

What Does “Music Usage Confirmation” Mean on TikTok?

Music Usage Confirmation on TikTok refers to a prompt that verifies whether a user has the rights and/or permission from copyright holders. Users must check a box to confirm this before uploading a video potentially containing commercial music.

Chances are you’ve seen this message pop up during an upload. This verifies that you own the rights to the music attached to your video.

This prompt will pop up in two specific scenarios:

• If you’re using a Creator account to upload original audio or music
• If you’re a Business account adding another account’s original sound to a video

The short of it for brands? Any audio uploaded needs to be either original, non-commercial or non-proprietary. Tread lightly with audio from movies or TV that may be subject to DCMA claims.

How Do I Know if TikTok Music is Okay for Commercial Use?

TikTok tries to steer brands in the right direction when it comes to approved audio.

Let’s say you’re trying to upload a video as a business. When you tap “Sounds,” you’ll be prompted to the Commercial Sounds catalog for sponsored videos by default.

From here, you’ll only see sounds that are approved for brands. No second-guessing!

When browsing audio on a desktop, you can filter by songs for commercial use. If you want to use a song in TikTok ads, you can confirm its approved placements here as well.

You can also browse TikTok’s Creative Center for trending audio that’s approved for business use. Again, the app is clear about which songs are fair game for brands.

Should Brands Switch From a TikTok Business Account to a Creator Account?

No. While some brands still do not follow TikTok’s Commercial Music guidelines, this is against TikTok's terms of service.

Okay, so we’ve arrived at the elephant in the room:

It’s sort of an open secret that some brands on TikTok are actually registered as Creators. This gives them unrestricted access to the app’s audio library.

Heck, some brands have actually poked fun at each other for posing as creators.

We get it: commercial music is often trending on TikTok. Brands want to maximize their reach and that's why they're skirting the rules.

However, posing as a Creator is against TikTok’s TOS. That’s why we can’t advise it.

Note: If you’re still set on switching your account, assess the risks and check with your legal team. You don’t want to potentially face penalties from the platform or lose account access.

What Happens to Brands That Violate TikTok’s Music Guidelines?

The short answer: it depends.

Brands need to be careful when it comes to audio on videos. Penalties range from:

• Videos being muted or removed
• Copyright strikes and potential bans for repeat offenders
• Lawsuits! Bloomberg notes that major labels are cracking down on copyrighted music on TikTok

The good news? The TikTok app provides clear instructions for brands using audio. 

The app has boundaries in place to prevent brands from using unauthorized music. For example, brand accounts cannot currently Stitch or Duet with non-commercial audio.

What’s New with the TikTok Music Library?

TikTok's been in the news for a lot of reasons throughout 2024 and heading into 2025.

Below is a quick breakdown of changes, updates and happenings for music on TikTok

• Big hits are back. After a short fallout, Universal Music Group and TikTok struck a new deal in early 2024. Songs from stars like Taylor Swift, Drake and Olivia Rodrigo are back on TikTok, with better pay for artists and songwriters.
  
  
• TikTok partnered with Adobe to integrate its CML into Adobe Express, allowing users to access over a million pre-cleared songs for their content. Making content with awesome music has never been easier!
  
  
• A global music makeover. TikTok’s revamped Commercial Music Library now features 1 million tracks from indie and emerging artists worldwide. These are all free for businesses to use. For context, this is double the amount of tracks brands had available a year or two ago.

With new integrations with platforms including Spotify as of November 2024, we're eager to see what else the CML has in store for creators and brands in 2025!

TikTok Music Dos for Businesses & Brands

When it comes to TikTok engagement, music matters. 

Trending songs are a staple of the platform and brands don’t want to get left out. If you want to make the most of TikTok’s tunes worry-free, follow these best practices.

Stick to the Commercial Music Library

When in doubt, stick to sounds in the CML. TikTok is explicit about approved sounds for brands.

And despite popular belief, this isn’t going to hold your account back. 

The Commercial Music Library actually has some bangers! It’s not just elevator music. 

Consider also that sounds in the CML regularly trend on the app. For example, the “Hey It’s Me” commercial sound has a staggering 559k videos attached to it.

Here is another example of how a brand can use approved sounds without sacrificing style.

Keep an Eye Out for Trending Audio

It’s no secret that TikTok is super trend-centric. Finding trending audio that’s business-friendly can earn your brand valuable exposure. 

Take Dermalogica, for example. They paired a touch of humor with the Titanic trending sound - and voilà! Viral success with 320K likes and sky-high engagement. Sometimes, it’s just that simple.

Thankfully, TikTok isn’t shy about telling us what’s trending.

For starters, you can apply filters to the Commercial Sounds catalog during an upload. The “Relevance” or “Most used” filters can uncover trending audio. The “Popular” label on some songs helps, too.

TikTok’s Creative Center provides a trends report highlighting up-and-coming audio. As a bonus, you can see directly whether a sound is approved for business use.

Source: TikTok

Another option is to use trending original sounds, made by creators. Just be sure to make sure the creator hasn’t included any commercial music in their original audio (not even in the background). 

TikTok does a pretty good job of trying to catch these not-so-original sounds for you. Here’s a side-by-side of what a “safe” original creator-uploaded sound looks like (on the left) versus one that was uploaded by a creator but contains commercial music (on the right).

See how it says “Contains music from?" That’s what you want to steer clear of!

Create Your Own Original Sounds to Capitalize on Trends

Let’s say you’re not satisfied with the options from the library for a particular video. You always have the option to upload and use original music. 

Granted you actually own it.

Brands have successfully used original music as the basis for entire TikTok campaigns. This not only increases your audio’s reach but also makes your brand more discoverable on TikTok.

For example, Ole Henriksen partnered with Statusphere for a launch featuring original music. The campaign and its audio were accompanied by the #YourMainSqueeze hashtag. The song resulted in 260+ videos earning over 12.7 million views!

Consider Using Voiceovers on TikTok vs. Commercial Music

Voiceovers aren’t just for storytelling. They’re a proven way to boost performance on TikTok.

According to our own research, TikTok videos with voiceovers consistently outperform those without them by grabbing more views, higher engagement rates and even better watch time.

Why? Voiceovers add a personal touch and help creators make their content more engaging and relatable. This is crucial on TikTok where personality and authenticity rule.

For example, a beauty creator can use a voiceover to walk viewers through their skincare routine, while a food brand might have a creator narrate the steps of a recipe. If you haven’t tried voiceovers yet or have primarily used the Commercial Music Library, now’s the time to experiment!

Encourage creators to test different styles. Whether it’s a playful tone, storytelling or straightforward narration, try all of the above. You might be surprised at what performs!

Familiarize Yourself with TikTok’s Music Guidelines and TOS

If you haven’t recently, comb through TikTok’s Music Terms of Service.

The app is evolving quickly and so are its guidelines. There’s speculation that TikTok commercial sounds could be facing an overhaul soon. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Reports say that the app is testing limited access to commercial songs
• There are also rumors that TikTok is launching its own music-streaming service
• Negotiations between TikTok and major labels are ongoing regarding music usage rights

But for now, TikTok tries to hold brands’ hands to ensure they don’t violate any rules.

TikTok Music Don’ts for Businesses & Brands

If you’re sticking to the best practices above, you likely don’t need to sweat TikTok’s music guidelines.

It never hurts to review the rules, though!

To wrap things up, let’s recap what not to do as a brand using audio.

Don't Try Trick TikTok by Using "Original" Mainstream Music

According to TikTok, songs in the General Music Library “have not been licensed for commercial use.” That means you can’t use them for promotional purposes.

Brands try to skirt this by uploading “original audio” that’s actually copyrighted music in disguise. 

Clever! But also against TikTok’s rules. 

Some brands still do it, though. Major label lawsuits and more advanced copyright detection AI might make people rethink this tactic.

Don't Use Sounds from the Commercial Music Library on Other Platforms

Consider that the CML has restrictions of its own. 

For example, TikTok doesn’t permit users to distribute its music files. 

You can add music from the library to your TikTok video and then post that video to another platform (like Instagram). You simply shouldn’t share the music files separately. 

Pay attention to the “Useable Placements” column in the Commercial Music Library to ensure your song choice is approved for use on the platform you’ve chosen. 

To read the rules for yourself, check out TikTok's own Audio Library Guidelines.

Don't Create Your Own Original Sounds “Just Because”

Brands have a ton of creative freedom given the ability to upload their own audio.

Thing is, you should really only do so when it makes sense for your brand’s TikTok strategy. 

Original audio makes the most sense for skits, promos and videos where you’re talking one-on-one with your audience. This video from Vessi is a great example.

But when it comes to background music, it’s best to simply stick with what’s out there.

Doing so allows you to capitalize on trends and make sure you’re creating content relevant to TikTok’s audience. Creating a low-quality or irrelevant sound won’t do your account any favors.

On that note, uploading or getting the rights to original music is an extra step that you don’t really need to take. Managing your TikTok presence already involves a million moving pieces, right?

Don’t create extra work for yourself! Again, CML tracks regularly go viral and are appropriate for brands of all shapes and sizes.

How to Make the Most of TikTok’s Music Library

If you miss having unrestricted access to TikTok’s audio library, we feel you.

Because growing your TikTok presence from scratch is hard enough. Limited access to mainstream sounds can make standing out feel even tougher.

That said, the TikTok Commercial Music Library has changed a lot since its launch. The fact that CML songs trend so often is an added bonus for brands.

Beyond that, expanding your reach on TikTok starts by tapping into trends. That includes trending audio. One of the best ways to make that happen is by partnering with creators. 

That’s where Statusphere can help. Our micro-influencer marketing platform matches brands with creators from our vetted network. These creators have a strong pulse on what's driving engagement and likewise how to promote products on the platform.

Our software uses 250+ first-party data points to match brands and creators. That means you only get matched with relevant micro-influencers that actively want to work with your brand. 

Want to learn more about how our platform works? Get in touch with one of our experts to see how we can scale your TikTok campaigns in a fraction of the time.

Disclaimer: We're marketing specialists, not lawyers! This content is not legal advice and you should definitely consult a legal professional based on your needs and questions. We do not make any guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and take no liability or legal obligations for your use of this information.

This article was first published in November 2021. It was last updated December 5, 2024.