How to Use Copyrighted Music on TikTok

Ever found the perfect song for your TikTok video, only to have it muted for a copyright claim just hours after you posted it? It’s a frustratingly common problem for creators and brands. This guide will walk you through exactly how to legally and safely use copyrighted music on TikTok so your content can stay online, reach more people, and avoid any copyright trouble.

Why You Can't Just Use Any Song You Want

First, let’s get the basics straight. Behind every hit song is a team of people - artists, songwriters, producers, labels - who own the rights to that music. Using their song without permission, especially for promotional purposes, is a form of copyright infringement. To solve this, TikTok has made deals with most major music labels and publishers, allowing them to offer a massive library of popular music for users.

However, how you get to use that music depends entirely on what kind of TikTok account you have. This is where most people get tripped up.

Personal Accounts vs. Business Accounts: The Big Difference

TikTok splits its users into two main categories, and the music rules for each are vastly different.

• Personal Accounts: If you're a casual creator, an influencer, or just using TikTok for fun, you most likely have a Personal account. These accounts have access to TikTok's General Music Library. This is the treasure trove of trending sounds, chart-topping hits from artists like Taylor Swift and Drake, and viral audio clips that you hear all over your "For You" page. The licensing agreements TikTok has with labels generally cover personal, non-commercial use, which is why these accounts have so much freedom.
• Business Accounts: Brands, organizations, and anyone using TikTok explicitly to promote a product or service must use a Business Account. These accounts have access to a more restrictive library called the Commercial Sounds Library. This library contains over a million songs and sounds, but they are all royalty-free and pre-cleared for commercial use. You won't find the latest #1 hit here because using a popular song to advertise your brand would require a separate, often very expensive, licensing deal directly with the music owner. TikTok protects both itself and your brand from potential lawsuits by providing this separate, commercially-safe library.

It can feel limiting, but it's designed to keep your business out of legal trouble. Using a trending but unlicensed sound to promote your products is a fast track to getting muted videos or copyright strikes against your account.

The Safest Bet: Using TikTok's Own Music Library

Whether you have a personal or business account, the best way to add music is directly through the TikTok app during the editing process. This ensures you’re only accessing the sounds you're licensed to use based on your account type. Anything you find in the app's approved library is fair game.

How to Add a Sound to Your TikTok Video

The process is simple and integrated right into the creation flow:

1. Record or Upload Your Video: Create your video content first. Once you're done, proceed to the editing screen by tapping the checkmark.
2. Tap "Add sound": Look for the music note icon and text "Add sound" at the top of the editing screen. This will open the sound library available to you.
3. Browse and Discover: Here you can explore recommended sounds, scroll through categorized playlists (like "TikTok Viral" or "New Releases"), or use the search bar to find something specific. Business accounts will see playlists tailored to them, like "Upbeat" or "Great for Vlogs."
4. Select and Trim Your Sound: Once you find a song you like, tap on it. Then, tap the scissors icon labeled "Trim." This allows you to drag the sound wave left and right to select the exact snippet of the song you want for your video, perfectly timing it with your visuals.
5. Adjust the Volume: After adding the sound, you can tap the "Volume" button on the right-side editing menu. Here you can control the volume of the "Added sound" and the "Original sound" (the audio from your original video). This is perfect for when you want music playing in the background behind your voiceover.

That's it. By following this method, you're using music exactly how TikTok intended, which keeps your content safe.

Building a Brand? How to Use Music on a TikTok Business Account

For businesses, marketing teams, and social media managers, the music rules require a little more strategy. You don't have access to the mainstream pop hits, but you can still find fantastic audio to make your content engaging.

What Exactly is the Commercial Sounds Library?

Think of the Commercial Sounds Library as a curated, high-quality stock music collection built right into TikTok. It contains over one million songs from emerging artists, music production houses, and independent labels. The key here is that every single track is royalty-free for commercial use on the TikTok platform. By using sounds from this library, you can be 100% confident your video won't get muted for copyright infringement.

Tips for Finding Great Music in the Commercial Library

Your goal isn't to join a viral dance trend set to a Top 40 song. Your goal is to find audio that matches the mood of your video and the voice of your brand. Here's a better way to search:

• Think Vibe, Not Specifics: Instead of searching for an artist, search for a mood, genre, or feeling. Try terms like "cinematic," "upbeat acoustic," "relaxing lo-fi," "energetic corporate," or "gentle piano." You'll be surprised at the quality of an audio clip you can find that elevates your video's production value.
• Explore TikTok's Playlists: The TikTok For Business team regularly curates playlists for specific themes or industries. Look for playlists like "Business Vlogs," "Trending: Commercial," or seasonal playlists for holidays. These are great starting points.
• Lean into a Signature Sound: Find a few tracks in the Commercial Sounds Library that perfectly fit your brand's aesthetic. Reusing one of these "brand anthems" across multiple videos can create a sense of consistency and make your content immediately recognizable to your followers.

Beyond the Library: Original Audio and "Fair Use"

While the sound library is the best option, there are a couple of other scenarios to understand.

Creating Your Own "Original Sound"

When you upload a video with its own unique audio - whether that's your voice talking, music you produced, or just the ambient background noise - it becomes an "Original Sound" on TikTok. Others can then use your audio in their own videos. This is an excellent way to bypass music copyright issues entirely and is a powerful strategy for building a brand.

Using your own voiceover to explain a product, share a tip, or tell a story not only makes your content more authentic but it creates a user-generated content trend that traces right back to your account.

Can I Claim "Fair Use"? (Probably Not)

You may have heard of "fair use," a legal doctrine that allows the limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like commentary, criticism, news reporting, and education. Some creators believe using just a few seconds of a song falls under fair use. For most commercial and promotional content on TikTok, this is simply incorrect and risky.

Fair use is a very complex legal defense that is judged on a case-by-case basis. It's not a blanket rule you can apply yourself. Relying on it is a significant gamble, and TikTok's automated systems almost certainly won't see it your way. Unless you are specifically reviewing or parodying a song (and are prepared to defend that choice), it's far safer to avoid this justification altogether.

What Happens When TikTok Flags Your Video?

If you use unauthorized copyrighted music - whether by mistake on a business account or by uploading it yourself from an outside editor - TikTok's automated Content ID system will likely catch it. You're not going to get a lawsuit in the mail, but a few things may happen:

• The Audio Will Be Muted: This is the most common outcome. Your video will remain live, but the sound will be removed. TikTok will often add a small text alert on the video saying, "This sound isn't licensed for commercial use" or something similar.
• Your Video Could Be Taken Down: For more explicit violations, or if demanded by the copyright holder, TikTok may remove the video entirely from the platform.
• You Could Receive a Strike: Repeat violations of the community guidelines can lead to strikes against your account, which may eventually result in a temporary suspension or even a permanent ban.

Usually, you will get a notification letting you know your audio was removed. In some cases, you can appeal the decision if you believe you have the appropriate license for the music, but for most brands, it's just much easier to use the Commercial Sounds Library from the start.

Final Thoughts

Navigating music copyright on TikTok really comes down to one core principle: use the right music library for your account type. For personal use, enjoy the massive catalog of popular hits. For businesses, use the safe and high-quality Commercial Sounds Library to create engaging, risk-free content that you know will stay online.

Staying on top of copyright rules is just one piece of the puzzle when managing fast-moving video content for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. At Postbase, we designed our platform specifically for the needs of video-first social media, making it straightforward to organize and schedule your content. We help you use a visual calendar to plan your TikToks - with their approved commercial sounds - right alongside Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts so you can create a unified content strategy without all the logistical headaches that come with legacy tools.