TikTok Accelerates Artist Account Creation for DistroKid Members

In a move to enhance its platform for musicians, TikTok has expedited the process for DistroKid members to create artist accounts. The ByteDance-owned short video platform introduced the Artist Account feature last year, allowing musicians to showcase new music, their existing catalog, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Traditionally, it could take up to 30 days for TikTok to process the necessary documents when an artist applied for this designation.

However, TikTok is now offering DistroKid members, who pay an annual subscription fee of $22.99, the ability to register as artists within hours.

“It’s now faster than ever for any artist to create their official TikTok Artist Account directly through DistroKid, reducing the process from weeks to just hours,” stated Phil Bauer, President of DistroKid. “Building on our long history of collaboration, DistroKid members now have unique access to tools and features for promoting their music on TikTok’s leading discovery platform.”

This initiative builds on a partnership formed last October, when ByteDance collaborated with DistroKid to enable independent artists to directly upload their songs to TikTok Music and the video editing app CapCut.

While TikTok and DistroKid have maintained a longstanding partnership, ByteDance also operates a competing music distribution service called SoundOn, which launched in 2022.

Despite this internal competition, the expedited registration process for DistroKid members underscores TikTok’s commitment to supporting independent musicians on its platform.