How to Get the Music Tab on TikTok

The “Music” tab on your TikTok profile is more than just a minor feature, it’s a powerful badge of legitimacy for artists and a creative toolbox for creators. It signals to your audience that your profile is an official hub for your sound and can turn your page into a discovery engine for your tracks. This guide will walk you through exactly what this tab is, why it matters, and the step-by-step process to get it on your own profile.

What Exactly Is the TikTok Music Tab (and Why Should You Care)?

Before moving on to the "how," let's clarify what we're talking about. There are actually two different features that creators often refer to as the "Music tab," and understanding the difference is the first step.

1. The Favorites Tab (Sound Section): This is a section within your "Favorites" tab (marked with a bookmark icon) where every TikTok user can save sounds they discover. When you hear a clip you like in a video, you can tap it and add it to your favorites. This acts as a personal library of audio you might want to use later. It's incredibly useful for content planning, but it's a standard feature available to everyone.
2. The Official Artist "Music" Tab: This is the special tab, marked with a musical note icon, that appears next to your main video grid. This tab acts as your official discography on TikTok. It automatically populates with all of your original songs that have been officially distributed to the platform. This is the tab that artists and musicians strive to get, and it’s the one we'll focus on acquiring.

Having this official tab is a game-changer. It validates your identity as a musician on the platform, makes all of your music immediately accessible to any profile visitor, and directly links plays to your catalog, which can even generate royalties. It gives fans and potential collaborators a single place to find and use your authentic audio, massively increasing the chances of one of your songs going viral.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Getting the Official Music Tab on TikTok

Getting the musical note icon on your profile isn't something you can just switch on in your settings. It's a verification process that proves to TikTok that you are the legitimate artist behind the music. It requires you to have original music ready and involves an outside partner called a music distributor.

Here’s the complete process from start to finish.

Step 1: Get Your Music Ready and Sign Up with a Distributor

You can't just upload an MP3 directly to TikTok and expect to get an artist profile. To get your music into TikTok’s official sound library, you need to use a digital music distributor. These services act as the middleman between you and all the major online platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, and, most importantly, TikTok.

They handle the technical side of things, making sure your music is formatted correctly, delivering it to the platforms, and collecting any royalties you earn.

Popular Music Distributors for TikTok:

• DistroKid: Known for its speed and user-friendly interface. It's a popular choice for independent artists because they offer unlimited uploads for a yearly fee and have strong integration with TikTok, even helping with artist profile claiming.
• TuneCore: Another major player in the distribution space. They operate on a per-release fee model and offer robust analytics and support.
• CD Baby: One of the oldest distributors, offering distribution for a one-time fee per release. They are known for their physical distribution options as well, but are excellent for digital-only artists too.

When choosing a distributor, confirm that they list "TikTok" as one of their delivery platforms. Nearly all major distributors do now, but it's always worth double-checking.

Example: You've just finished producing your first single. Before you can get it on TikTok, you’ll sign up for an account with DistroKid. You’ll pay their annual fee, which allows you to upload as many songs as you want for the next year.

Step 2: Upload Your Music and Distribute it to TikTok

Once you’ve chosen a distributor, it's time to upload your work. This process is generally straightforward and involves providing three key things:

• The audio file: Usually a high-quality .WAV or .FLAC file.
• The cover art: A high-resolution square image (typically 3000x3000 pixels).
• The metadata: All the information about the track, including the artist name, song title, genre, writer, and producer credits.

During the upload process, you will see a list of stores and platforms where you can send your music. This is the most important part of the entire process: make sure the box for "TikTok" is checked.

After you submit your track, your distributor will review it and then send it out to all the platforms you selected. This part requires some patience. It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks for your song to get processed and appear live in TikTok's sound library.

Step 3: Confirm Your Music is Live on TikTok

Before moving on, you need to verify that your distribution was successful. You can do this by opening the TikTok app and searching for your music.

1. Navigate to the video creation screen and tap on "Add sound."
2. In the sound library's search bar, type your artist name and the song title.
3. If the process worked, your song should appear as a selectable sound.

When you see your track there, with your artist name listed beneath it, you're ready for the final step. At this point, TikTok's system has created an "Artist Page" for you in the backend, but it's not yet linked to your personal user profile.

Step 4: Claim Your Artist Profile via TikTok for Artists

This is where you make it official. TikTok has now created a dedicated portal for musicians called TikTok for Artists (available at artists.tiktok.com). This hub is where you can manage your artistic presence, view analytics, and, most importantly, get your Music tab.

Here’s how to apply:

1. Go to artists.tiktok.com: Log in with the TikTok account you want to be your official artist profile.
2. Click 'Apply for Artist Account': Look for the option to apply or sign up as an artist.
3. Select Your Artist: TikTok will ask you to search for your artist name. Since you've already distributed music, your artist name should appear in their system. Select it.
4. Prove You’re You: This is the verification stage. You’ll need to prove you are the real artist. This is often done by showing that you have control over the original music. Common verification methods include:
   • Taking a screenshot of your dashboard from your distributor (like DistroKid or TuneCore).
   • Sharing a screenshot of your Spotify for Artists or Apple Music for Artists profiles.
5. Submit Your Application: Once you provide the required proof, submit the application. TikTok’s team will review it. This can take several days, so be patient.

Once your application is approved, your TikTok user account will be officially linked to your music catalog. The app recognizes you as a certified artist, and the coveted Music tab with the musical note icon will appear on your profile. Congratulations - it’s now an official music hub!

Troubleshooting: What to Do if the Music Tab Doesn't Appear

Sometimes the process isn't perfectly smooth. If you’ve followed all the steps and still don’t see the tab, here are a few things to check.

I Applied but Haven't Heard Back.

The review process can take time. Give it at least one to two weeks before getting concerned. If it's been longer than that, try reaching out to support through the TikTok for Artists portal.

My Music Is on TikTok, but I Can't Find My Artist Name to Claim.

This is a common issue tied to metadata. Sometimes, your distributor may have sent your music under a slightly different artist name, or a typo might have occurred. Double-check the artist name exactly as it appears on your music within the TikTok app and use that exact spelling when searching on the Artists portal.

Can I Get the Music Tab Without Releasing Original Music?

No. The official Music tab is exclusively reserved for artists whose original work has been delivered to TikTok through a recognized digital distributor. For everyone else, saving sounds to your Favorites is the intended way to build a personal sound library for content creation.

Final Thoughts

Securing the official Music tab on your TikTok profile is a definitive step in establishing yourself as an artist on the platform. It requires releasing original music through a distributor like DistroKid or TuneCore and then officially claiming your profile through the TikTok for Artists website. While it takes a few steps and a bit of patience, the result is a massive boost in legitimacy and discoverability for your music.

Once you’ve secured your Music tab and are ready to promote your tracks, the real work of managing a consistent content strategy begins. This is where we designed Postbase to help artists and marketers succeed. With our simple visual calendar, you can plan your content promotion across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts weeks in advance. And because our platform is built for short-form video first, you can schedule your posts everywhere without the formatting headaches and reliability issues that plague older tools.