The subscribers of Apple Music will soon be able to listen to full songs on TikTok without having to leave the app. The two platforms collaborated to launch two new features — the Play Full Song and the Listening Party — that allow users to link their accounts and open an Apple Music player directly within TikTok. The features will roll out worldwide in the coming weeks, according to Apple.
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Together, Play Full Song and Listening Party aim to help Apple Music subscribers discover new music on TikTok without having to switch platforms and ensure that artists are fairly compensated. Since full song playback is based on MusicKit , streams are paid for within the Apple Music service.
When TikTok users find a new song they like on the For You or Sound Detail pages, they’ll soon be able to tap the Play Full Song. An Apple Music player will open, where subscribers can listen to the full track and a personalized stream of other recommended songs. Users can also add music from TikTok directly to their Apple Music playlists, similar to integrations TikTok has previously launched with Spotify and SoundCloud.
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“Accessing the music you love should be effortless,” said Ole Obermann, Apple Music’s vice president of music. “With Play Full Song, Apple Music subscribers can easily go from discovering a track on TikTok to listening to it in full instantly, without interrupting their stream.”
The Listening Party is a version of the Play Full Song feature that allows many TikTok users to listen simultaneously. Apple states that the feature is designed to “bring artists and fans closer to the music” creating a shared Apple Music environment within TikTok, where fans can listen to songs from their favorite artists and interact with each other in real time, and even communicate directly with the artist.
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TikTok has partnered with other music streaming providers in the past, but this collaboration with Apple Music appears to be one of the most extensive. Given that TikTok shut down its own short-lived music streaming platform in 2024, it now seems to rely on friendship with its competitors.
