A Guide to TikTok for Artists and How to Use It!

By Holt Atkinson

TikTok has rolled out the new TikTok for Artists platform that allows artists better to understand data analytics for their music and marketing! This is a big addition to TikTok and shows they are working to improve their music economy within TikTok and will likely result in a huge improvement to their internal music economy. 

Launched officially in June 2025, this platform is designed to help artists build their careers by providing powerful analytics, promotional tools, and enhanced fan engagement features. TikTok for Artists offers a unique opportunity to grow your fan base and showcase your work. In this blog post, we’ll explore what TikTok for Artists is, its key features, and how you can leverage it to elevate your music career.

What is TikTok for Artists?

TikTok for Artists is a specialized platform within TikTok that provides artists with tools to promote their music, track performance, and engage with fans. Unlike the standard TikTok app, this feature is made specifically for musicians and their teams, offering data-driven insights and promotional capabilities to maximize impact. Launched in select markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan, it will be expanding globally, making it accessible to artists worldwide.

The platform is free to use and integrates with TikTok’s existing ecosystem, allowing artists to tap into the app’s huge user base of over 1 billion monthly active users.

Key Features of TikTok for Artists:

Enhanced Artist Profiles with Music Tab

The Music Tab acts as a mini homepage for your music, displaying your full catalog in one place. Fans can easily explore your tracks, and new releases are automatically updated with a “New” badge for 30 days to boost visibility.

The Artist Tag appears under your account name, signaling your certified status and helping you stand out as a professional artist.

Real-Time Analytics 

Gain access to detailed performance data, including views, likes, shares, and engagement per song or post. You can also learn about your audience demographics to curate your content more effectively.

Promotional Tools 

  • Launch pre-save campaigns for upcoming releases on Spotify or Apple Music, driving excitement before your music drops, and improving the streaming algorithm.

  • Use the “By Artist” feature to pin your preferred video to the top of relevant sound pages, ensuring maximum exposure.

  • Highlight fan-created content with the Fan Spotlight feature, showcasing user-generated videos in your Music Tab to improve community engagement.

Monetization Opportunities 

  • Drive streams to external platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, where 67% of TikTok users are more likely to seek out songs they discover on the app. This can lead to significant revenue and streaming growth.

  • Create engagement campaigns, such as exclusive merch drops or album promotions, to better monetize your fanbase!

How to Get Started with TikTok for Artists

Ready to claim your TikTok Artist Account and start using the platform? Follow these steps to set up and make the most of TikTok for Artists:

Apply for a TikTok Artist Account

To access TikTok for Artists, you need a certified artist account. Eligibility requires at least 4 songs released and 100 TikTok videos using your music. Here’s how to apply:

  1. Log in to TikTok and go to your profile tab.

  2. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner to open settings.

  3. Select TikTok Studio, then scroll to the “More tools” section and tap Artist Hub or TikTok for Artists.

  4. Tap Apply now, enter your full artist name, and search for your profile in TikTok’s music library.

  5. Click Claim and provide proof of ownership by submitting screenshots from your music distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore) or streaming platform (Spotify for Artists).

  6. TikTok will review your application, and if approved, you’ll receive the “Artist” tag and access to exclusive features!


Pro Tip: Use a music distributor like DistroKid, CD Baby, or TuneCore to upload your music to TikTok’s library. This ensures your songs are available for use in videos and linked to your profile.

TikTok has redefined music discovery, with 75% of users saying they’ve found new artists on the platform. Its algorithm gives every video a chance to go viral, making it an ideal space for independent artists to break through. Utilize TikTok for Artists today to take control of your career and gain eyes on your music.

Works Referenced
https://www.gyrostream.com/blog-posts/apply-for-tiktok-artist-account-link-your-music
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/03/tiktok-quietly-launches-a-new-tiktok-for-artists-platform/
https://www.reddit.com/r/musicmarketing/comments/1en7x9b/anyone_tried_tiktok_for_artists/
https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/tiktok-for-artists/
https://support.label-worx.com/hc/en-us/articles/15263339112210--TikTok-Artist-Certification-A-Guide-to-Special-Features-and-Tools
https://artists.tiktok.com/

The Positives and Negatives of AI in the Music Industry

by Tyler Prondzinski

The big talk in the past month or so (or basically the past year ever since ChatGPT came out) has been AI and the perceived negative effects it has on many sectors of society. We’ll be talking about some of the positives and negatives about it surrounding its use in the music industry.

Positive: Billy Joel comes back with an AI Music Video

Early last month, Billy Joel released a new song called “Turn the Lights Back On,” a fantastic song from someone who has released little material over the past thirty years. The music video for the song was filmed but assisted with AI. They had a stand in actor dress up like Billy Joel in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and 90’s, and then ran it through a groundbreaking AI program that has been used by the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Juice Wrld. The AI program transformed the actor’s face into three scarily accurate depictions of a younger Billy Joel. It was genius idea given the meaning of the song and the years that have past.

Positive: Tennessee Enacts the ELVIS Act

Just a couple of weeks ago, the state of Tennessee just enacted a law concerning the “protections for songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals' voice from the misuse of artificial intelligence,” according to a statement from the Governor’s office. This is a big step, making Tennessee the first state in the nation to enact legislation like this, though these concerns have been brewing for the past year. On a side note, I find it clever that they decided to name it the ELVIS act, standing for “Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security.”

Negative: Deepfakes

In the past few months, companies have been sprouting up specializing in creating AI models of the voices of pop stars and celebrities. Legal battles have ensued, one of the most notable taking place in the UK. Britain based cite Jammable currently has over 3000 AI models of famous people, but it was left with no choice but to take down the models of Drake and Amy Winehouse after getting a cease and desist in the mail from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The question of creating fake AI models of artists is surrounded by various ethical, moral, and legal issues. Feeding AI software copyrighted material to create a model likely violates federal copyright law and will soon be challenged in the courts. Since the model doesn’t have the limits humans have, these models have the potential to take away revenue from these artists by generating unlimited amounts of material.

Negative: AI and TikTok

The relationship between TikTok and AI is a never ending cycle. Someone creates a cover of Elvis singing some modern pop song using AI and it makes its way to social media platforms and TikTok, where it goes viral and causes more users to check out the service. Universal Music recently made the news for pulling their artist’s music from TikTok, mainly because of a lack of agreement on a licensing deal for their artist’s songs. But the elephant in the room that isn’t getting mentioned is Universal’s fight against AI, which was another component of why this deal went sour. Most artists are not getting paid for the use of their name, image, and likeness in these AI generated songs, and TikTok is proliferated with them.

Ending Thoughts

A few days ago during a podcast, Roger Daltrey of the Who said this about AI: “It’s going to destroy the music industry if we’re not careful.” I think these words are words to the wise. Some guardrails have to be put into place before things get too out of hand and the music industry suffers the same lost revenue it did in the days of pirating and the beginning of streaming. AI does have some creative benefits but like anything, it is a tool to be used sparingly.