Music Terms of Service

TikTok · Official agreement

28 cards.

Effective Date: January 2026

1. Introduction

TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, and we know that for some users music can be a part of that expression and individuality on TikTok. That's why we've partnered with music rights holders to permit the use of copyrighted music in your TikTok videos. These Music Terms are intended to help you understand how music can be used on TikTok.

As a TikTok user, you agree that your use of music will follow these Music Terms, the TikTok Terms of Service, the Community Guidelines and the Privacy Policy which govern your use of the Platform. All capitalized terms used but not defined in these Music Terms shall have the meaning set out in the TikTok Terms of Service.

2. General terms

TikTok USDS Joint Venture offers its users a library of licensed music from which songs may be selected for inclusion in videos. If you include in your video a song that was not chosen from the licensed library, then you confirm that you are the creator of that music and/or that you have all the rights and permissions needed to use that music in your video. Except as expressly set out in these Music Terms, you acknowledge that no rights in the music—either in the sound recordings or the underlying compositions embodied in them—are licensed to you under the TikTok Terms of Service or these Music Terms.

3. How to include music in a video

Below we describe some ways that you may choose to include music in your videos. In short, you should only include music in a video if you are sure that you have the rights or permissions to do so.

4. How you can use music

Music is part of the TikTok experience. But, to use music on our Platform, you must follow a few rules.

5. How you can use music if you’re using Commercial Sounds

If you use Commercial Sounds, please read the Commercial Music Library Terms Guidelines here, as they apply to your use of Commercial Sounds.

6. How you can use music created with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence technology ("AI Music")

We respect the expressive value of AI Music and the interests of both content creators and music rights holders. We also recognize that AI can make it more difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. That's why we've set a few rules that should be followed if you upload a TikTok video that includes AI Music ("AI Music Video"), as set forth below.

  • Do's:
  • You should obtain all permissions needed for any copyrighted music, trade names or trademarks used in an AI Music Video. We may mute any music included in an AI Music Video and/or remove any AI Music Video if it violates a third party's rights or if we otherwise have a legal obligation to do so. For more information, see our Intellectual Property Policy here.
  • If you upload an AI Music Video, you should provide clear disclosures. This can be done by using captions or hashtags, such as '[artist] AI cover', 'AI generated music', or 'AI music cover.' You can add an AI-generated content label to your video and can learn more information here.
  • Don't's:
  • You should not upload an AI Music Video which contains vocals which were created using a person's voice and are intended to create a false impression that the person's real voice is used in that AI Music Video.
  • You should not falsely attribute the performance of the music included in an AI Music Video to a person who did not actually perform that music.
  • You should not upload an AI Music Video that contains a person's likeness, such as an image or voice, if you have not received the necessary permission in accordance with applicable laws. We may mute or remove any AI Music Video that misappropriates a person's likeness under the applicable law.
  • You should not upload an AI Music Video that is used for endorsements or violates any other policies.

7. Using music in Live streams

There are limitations around how music can be included in Live streams. You cannot use Sounds or Commercial Sounds in a live stream. To use recorded music or perform music in your Live stream that you do not own, you must have all rights and permissions you need to use or perform the music in the Live stream.

8. Permitted uses by law

As part of our mission to inspire creativity and bring joy, it is important to acknowledge that music may be used in transformative ways. While you must comply with these Music Terms, not all music is protected by copyright and not all uses of copyrighted music would be unauthorized or require obtaining permission. For instance, you may use works that are in the public domain, and certain uses of copyrighted works may qualify for an exception or limitation to copyright infringement, such as a parody or pastiche, in jurisdictions that recognize fundamental user rights.

We respect intellectual property rights. We allow rights holders to report user content on the Platform that they believe infringes their copyrights. We have established policies that describe how rights holders can report claimed infringements and how users can dispute those reports. These policies apply to all types of copyrighted works, including music. For more information, see our Copyright Policy here. You should review these policies if you believe you have mistakenly received a takedown notification.

We may remove or mute your video if we have reason to believe your use of music is unauthorized. You acknowledge that our audio recognition system may detect unauthorized uses of music and your content may be muted. If your content is muted or removed in error, and you have the necessary rights to share music or your use may be permitted by law, you can appeal the issue through our in-app notification process.