How to add music to TikTok
Want to learn how to add music to TikTok? Step right up, and discover how to add tracks in-app, through third-party apps and software, and more.
Music makes your content tick – it can be the difference between someone swiping or staying. If you want to learn how to add music to TikTok, we’ve got you covered.
Can I use any music on TikTok?
Theoretically, yes. As long as the music is available on TikTok, or via your video editing software, it can be used on TikTok. However, if you’re adding music from outside TikTok’s own library, make sure that you have the correct rights. Otherwise, your content could be muted.
Today, we’ll rattle through how to add music to TikTok videos through the app, how to add music that isn’t available on TikTok, and how to stay out of trouble regarding copyright.
How do I add music to a TikTok video?
Learning how to add music to a TikTok video is pretty easy. If you’ve not done it before, we’re sure you'll get the hang of it – it’s similar to other video-sharing platforms. Let's take a look.
How to add music to a TikTok video with TikTok’s library
- Open your TikTok mobile app. Record your footage as usual, then click the ‘Sounds’ button at the top of the screen. If you’ve selected an existing video from your device’s photo gallery, you can go ahead and click ‘Sounds’ at this stage, too.
- Browse the TikTok Sounds library. Scroll, search, and compare to your heart’s content. You can preview a song by clicking it, and if you like what you hear, press the checkmark to add it to your video.
- Now that the song’s been added to your TikTok video, you can alter which part you’d like to play. TikTok only allows 60 seconds of music within a video, so get snippy with it! Click the ‘scissors’ icon, which lets you adjust the section of the song you’d like to play during your content. It previews alongside the video, too, giving you a peek into how it'll look for viewers.
- Continue editing your TikTok video as usual, then post it when you’re done!
By the way, did you know that we’re an official TikTok Sound Partner? That means you can find our music right there, in-app, and you’ll never get stuck finding the perfect song.
It’s worth noting that if you download your video from TikTok, the audio will be muted. That’s because the agreement between the music’s rights-holders and TikTok is exclusive; the license is only covered for use on TikTok, rather than other platforms like YouTube or Facebook.
How to add music to a TikTok video with video editing software
If you want to add music to your TikTok video but it’s not available through TikTok’s library, fear not. You can always add music to a clip with something like CapCut, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie.
Then, you just export the finished video file, add it to your device’s photo gallery, and upload it to TikTok. As long as you have the correct rights for the music, it should be smooth sailing.
If you’re planning to distribute your content across several platforms, adding music to TikTok like this is a smart approach. The soundtrack is already baked into the original video file, so if you’re covered from a copyright standpoint, you needn’t have to keep editing the video for different platforms.
Sick of worrying about copyright? Don’t sweat it. Check out our catalog, learn how easy it is to use our tracks in TikTok ads, and find the perfect soundtrack below.
How do I add my own music to TikTok?
Want to add your own music to a TikTok video? That’s cool. As long as you have all the necessary rights, then you should be safe to put your own songs on TikTok. Just pop it into a video like we mentioned above – with a third-party program – and you’ll be good.
Why is TikTok muting my video?
TikTok only supports music in videos for 60 seconds. That’s 60 seconds per video, for the duration of the clip. That means even if you create a ten-minute TikTok video, you can only include one total minute of music usage.
If your chosen music exceeds the one-minute mark, you run the risk of being muted. You’ll receive a notification like the one below.
Once your video’s muted, there’s no way to reverse it; you’ll have to re-upload your video as a fresh TikTok.
Your video may have also been muted because you don’t have the correct rights to use the track. This often happens when people upload videos that’ve already been soundtracked in third-party video editing apps.
You can add a famous track to your private Final Cut Pro project, sure. But, if you export that video and put it on TikTok without obtaining a license, you could face serious consequences for copyright violation.
How do you know if a song is copyrighted?
As a rule of thumb, assume that all music is copyrighted. Except for rare exceptions, like public domain music or work released under specific Creative Commons licenses, songs are rarely copyright-free. They usually come with a bunch of strict usage rules, yellow tape, and so on.
Different rights are owned by different parties. For example, record labels usually own the recording rights – these are often found at the bottom of a song’s details on streaming platforms, with the ‘©’ symbol followed by the name of the rights-holder.
However, this is just one piece of the puzzle. You’ve got to find out who owns the composition rights, and more rights to boot. It’s a massive pain, and if you slip up and forget to clear all the necessary rights, you can get in hot water. So let us take care of it.
Our catalog is high-quality, affordable, and safe. An Epidemic Sound subscription goes beyond royalty-free music, removing the headache of licensing and freeing you up to do what you do best. You can enjoy the safety of our license hand-in-hand with our massive catalog of 40,000 tracks, covering just about every genre you can think of. You’ll also gain unlimited access to our advanced search functions — finding the right sound’s never been easier.
It’s better than royalty-free. It’s worry-free. Get started with Epidemic Sound below.
Want to level up your TikTok game? Whether you're an advertiser looking for music for TikTok campaigns or a creator getting to know the platform, we’ve got you covered. Become a TikTok master with Epidemic Sound.
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