TikTok has added a new music feature that lets Apple Music users link their accounts in order to play full songs in the app.
Due to music licensing limitations, social platforms are generally only allowed to play previews of songs in-app, with available samples limited to 30 seconds.
With this new feature, TikTok users will be able to listen to full tracks in-stream, further enhancing the app’s music discovery and engagement potential.
As explained by TikTok: “The new Play Full Song experience helps music fans move seamlessly from the moment of discovery to deeper listening, instantly, and all within the same environment. Users can also save their favorite songs to Your Music and add them directly to their Apple Music playlists, making it easier to keep track of the music they love for repeat future listening.”
Song playback is enabled via Apple Music, which means that any tracks played through this process support musicians via Apple’s artists payments, while these songs are also logged in users’ Apple Music listening history.
TikTok has also added a new Listening Party feature, which will enable users and artists to listen to music together in-stream.
Fans will be able to join a Listening Party and engage in a group chat, providing another way to connect with music content.
And with TikTok now playing a key role in music discovery, these could be valuable additions.
Previous data insights published by TikTok showed that U.S. TikTok users were 74% more likely to discover and share new music in the app than the average short-form video user. In addition, the data showed that 84% of the songs that reached the Billboard 200 list in 2024 first gained traction on TikTok.
Indeed, some record labels are even changing the names of artists’ songs to better align with TikTok trends.
The influence TikTok has established in this element is significant, so it makes sense for the platform to continue to lean into music engagement with new features.
TikTok said that both its Play Full Song and Listening Party features are rolling out worldwide over the weeks ahead.
