TikTok is revolutionizing music discovery and engagement within its app through a new partnership with Apple Music. Soon, users will be able to stream full songs directly on TikTok, thanks to the new “Play Full Song” feature. This integration allows you to link your Apple Music account and enjoy any track that catches your ear while you scroll through your feed.
Starting a song is incredibly easy. Just tap a button on the Sound Details page or even right from your For You page. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, TikTok will then bring up a simplified version of Apple’s music player. From there, you can listen to the full song, save it for later, or add it to one of your playlists.
This new “Play Full Song” feature utilizes Apple’s MusicKit APIs, which are tools that let developers include elements of the Apple Music streaming service in their own apps. TikTok has previously offered similar integrations with various streaming services through its “Add to Music App” feature, which allowed users to save songs to their streaming libraries. What makes this new partnership particularly exciting is that streams through “Play Full Song” are counted as regular streams on Apple Music. This ensures that artists get their fair share of royalties, preventing any loss of income.
Beyond individual song playback, TikTok and Apple are also introducing “Listening Party.” This innovative feature creates a live, shared environment where fans can listen to music together with their favorite artists. It essentially functions as an audio-only livestream, allowing for direct interaction between artists and their audience. TikTok’s existing livestream ecosystem is robust, and “Listening Party” looks like a clever way to adapt that technology for a more focused music promotion experience.
TikTok has already proven to be a powerful platform for discovering new music and launching the careers of emerging artists. While the company briefly explored launching its own streaming service in 2023 before abandoning those plans in 2024, this new collaboration suggests a renewed focus on enhancing its role within the music industry.
With new ownership, TikTok’s ambitions might grow beyond just integrating with existing streaming services. For now, “Play Full Song” and “Listening Party” represent a significant step forward in making TikTok an even more immersive and rewarding experience for music lovers and artists alike.
Both “Play Full Song” and “Listening Party” will be rolling out globally in the coming weeks. So, if you don’t see these features yet, keep an eye out—they’ll be arriving soon.
