How to Claim Music on TikTok

Navigating music rights on TikTok can feel like a minefield, but understanding how to properly claim and use audio is a straightforward way to protect your content and your brand. This guide breaks down exactly what artists, creators, and business owners need to know about claiming their own music, using sounds legally, and handling infringement so you can post with confidence. We’ll cover the process step-by-step, whether you’re an artist getting your track online or a brand trying to avoid a muted video.

Why Understanding Music Rights on TikTok Matters

You’ve probably seen a video with the dreaded "This sound isn't licensed for commercial use" banner or, worse, one that's been completely muted. These issues usually stem from a misunderstanding of how TikTok handles music copyright, which it takes very seriously. Three core concepts are at play: copyright protection, licensing agreements, and account types.

TikTok is built on the creative use of audio, but that doesn’t mean every sound is free for everyone to use in any context. To protect artists, labels, and creators, TikTok uses automated systems to identify copyrighted material. If you use a popular song in a promotional video from a business account without the right license, the platform can mute your audio, take down your video, or even issue a strike against your account. Multiple violations can lead to serious restrictions.

The rules are fundamentally different depending on whether you operate a Personal Account or a Business Account. This single distinction determines which audio library you can access and which actions you can take, making it the most important thing to get right from the start.

Personal vs. Business Accounts: Two Different Sound Libraries

The music you can use legally on TikTok depends entirely on your account type. TikTok segregates its massive audio library into two distinct collections to protect both creators and rights holders from licensing nightmares.

The General Music Library (For Personal Accounts)

If you're using a standard Personal Account, you get access to the jackpot: the General Music Library. It contains millions of songs from every genre and era, including today's biggest trending hits from artists like Taylor Swift and Drake. This is possible because TikTok has licensing deals with major record labels and publishers that allow this music to be used in organic, user-generated content.

• Who is it for? General users, creators, and influencers who are creating content for entertainment and personal expression, not direct commercial promotion.
• What can you do? You can add virtually any popular song to your videos, letting you participate freely in trends and memes.
• The main rule: This music cannot be used for any commercial purpose. That means videos that feature a product, advertise a service, run as a paid ad, or promote your business in any explicit way are off-limits for this library.

The Commercial Music Library (For Business Accounts)

If your account represents a business, brand, nonprofit, or other organization, you are automatically given access to the Commercial Music Library. This library is much more limited but significantly safer. It contains over a million pre-cleared, royalty-free songs and sounds vetted for commercial use.

• Who is it for? Any account classified as a Business Account, from small shops to major corporations.
• What can you do? Use any sound from this library in your organic promotional content and paid ads without worrying about copyright infringement or your video getting muted.
• The main limitation: You won't find chart-topping hits here. The Commercial Library is designed for safety, not for riding the wave of the latest pop song. Using a sound from the General Music Library on a business video is a direct violation of TikTok's terms and will almost certainly get flagged.

How to Get Your Own Music on TikTok: A Guide for Artists

For independent musicians and artists, "claiming music" means getting your original songs officially into TikTok’s library so that you and millions of other creators can use them. This gives you credit, links back to you as the artist, and opens the door for your track to become the next viral sound. You can't just upload an MP3 directly to the sound library, you must go through a digital music distributor.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Choose a Music Distributor: These services act as the middleman between you and major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok. They handle the licensing and make sure you get paid royalties. Popular options trusted by artists include DistroKid, TuneCore, and CD Baby. Each has slightly different fee structures, so find one that fits your budget.
2. Prepare Your Track and Artwork: Your distributor will require a high-quality audio file (usually a WAV file) and cover art that meets specific dimensions (typically 3000x3000 pixels). Make sure all your information, like track title, artist name, and songwriter credits, is accurate.
3. Upload and Select TikTok as a Platform: During the upload process, you'll see a list of platforms where you want your music to be sent. Be sure to check the box for TikTok (it might be bundled with platforms like Instagram and Facebook). In some distributors like DistroKid, this is an automatic part of the distribution to all relevant social platforms.
4. Specify the TikTok Clip: Many distributors now allow you to select the specific snippet of your song that you want to be available on TikTok. Choose the catchiest 15 or 30 seconds - the part you think is most likely to inspire creative videos. If you don't choose a specific clip, TikTok might choose one for you.
5. Wait for Review and Delivery: Once you submit, your distributor will review your song to make sure it meets all the guidelines and then deliver it to TikTok. This process can take a few days to a couple of weeks. Once approved, your song will appear in TikTok’s sound library, searchable by your artist name and track title.

What To Do If Someone Steals Your Music on TikTok

If you're an artist and discover someone has uploaded your song as their own original sound or is using your music in a way that infringes on your copyright, you can file a formal infringement report to get the content removed. This process directly lets you "claim" ownership and request a takedown from the user who doesn't have the appropriate license for this use.

Follow these steps to file a report:

1. Navigate to the Infringing Video: Go to the specific video that uses your copyrighted material without permission.
2. Tap the 'Share' Icon: This is the arrow icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
3. Select 'Report': In the bottom row of options, find and tap the 'Report' button.
4. Choose Your Reason: Select "Intellectual property infringement" from the list of reporting reasons.
5. Select 'Copyright Infringement': You'll then be asked to specify the type of infringement. Choose "Copyright Infringement" and follow the prompts to complete and submit the official TikTok Copyright Infringement Report Form.

You will need to provide evidence of your ownership, such as a link to where the music is officially published or copyright registration details. TikTok's support team will review the claim and take appropriate action if a violation is confirmed, which almost always involves removing the sound from the infringing video.

Best Practices for Using Music Legally as a Creator or Brand

Whether you're an individual creator trying to grow or a brand building a presence, your audio strategy should be both creative and legally compliant. Trying to "game the system" by using a Personal Account for your business isn’t worth the risk.

Here are some smart strategies to stay in the clear:

For Business Accounts: Master the Commercial Music Library

Don't look at the Commercial Music Library as a limitation, see it as a curated source of safe-to-use audio. While it lacks trendy pop songs, it’s organized by industry, genre, mood, and duration, making it easy to find high-quality audio that fits your brand’s personality. Pro tip: save sounds you like whenever you find them so you can build your own personal collection of pre-approved tracks to use in future videos.

Create Your Own Original Sounds

This is one of the most powerful strategies on TikTok. An "Original Sound" is any new audio uploaded with a video. This could be you talking, a customer testimonial, a simple joke, or even just background office noise. When others start using your original audio in their videos, it links back to you as the creator, acting as free promotion. Viral original sounds often become massive trends, all directing traffic and credit back to the source account.

Work With Independent Artists

Reach out to independent musicians to license their music directly. Many artists are open to partnering with brands for a reasonable fee or even in exchange for exposure. This allows you to use cool, unique music that no one else has while supporting the artist community. Just make sure you get a licensing agreement in writing outlining exactly how and where you can use the track.

Use Third-Party Royalty-Free Music Services

If the Commercial Library isn't cutting it, you can use a video editor to add audio from a third-party, royalty-free music service like Epidemic Sound or Artlist. These platforms offer massive catalogs of high-quality music that is fully licensed for commercial and social media use. Simply download the track, edit your video in a program like CapCut or Adobe Rush, add the music, and upload the final video to TikTok.

Final Thoughts

Understanding and respecting music rights on TikTok helps you avoid penalties and build a more sustainable presence on the platform. Whether you are an artist distributing your work or a business using pre-cleared audio, following the rules ensures your content stays live and your creativity isn't cut short by a muted audio track.

Once you’ve nailed down your audio strategy, the next step is planning and scheduling your content consistently. That’s why we built Postbase with a primary focus on short-form video. Since tools of the past weren't designed for today's video-first reality, we created a visual calendar that helps you plan and schedule your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts flawlessly. You can upload once and tailor it for every platform, knowing that it will publish reliably, every single time.