US: TikTok to launch a new music app – Do its users already pay for online music?

ByteDance – TikTok’s parent company – has filed a trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark office for “TikTok Music.” This new app would allow users to create, share and recommend playlists, and comment on the music. It would also allow livestream audio and video. But how do TikTok users listen to music?

Data from YouGov Profiles – which covers demographic, psychographic, attitudinal, and behavioural consumer metrics – shows how popular music streaming services are in the United States. More than half of the US population (57%) agrees with the statement, “I primarily listen to music through streaming services.”

This proportion is even bigger among TikTok users. More than two-thirds (70%) of them primarily listen to music through streaming services.

But are TikTok users willing to pay for online music streaming services?

YouGov Profiles data shows that TikTok users are more likely than the overall US population to be willing to stump up for music listed to via online streams. Half of TikTok users said they are willing to pay , compared 41% of the general population.

The numbers suggest that TikTok already has an audience which is ready to pay for streaming music. But since it will be entering a market dominated by players like Spotify and Apple Music, it will hope that its USP of adding more social to the music mix will help it stand out.

Discover more media content here

Want to run your own research? Start building a survey now

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.