TikTok: music, mutes and copyright
TikTok does not put claims on videos the way YouTube does. Its audio recognition system mutes or removes a video when it believes the music is unauthorised, and you appeal from the notification in the app.
TikTok questions, answered
- Free music you can't use on YouTube
Music that is free inside one app is usually licensed for that app only. TikTok and Meta say so in their terms, SoundCloud forbids reuse unless the uploader allows it, and YouTube disowns "royalty-free" channels.
- Safest music for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
On YouTube, use the Audio Library or the in-app sound picker. On Instagram and TikTok, use each app's own library inside the app. For one source across all three, subscribe to Epidemic Sound.
- Can you repost TikToks to Shorts and Reels?
Only if the music is yours to take with you. Music added inside TikTok or YouTube is licensed for that platform alone, and a visible watermark from another app makes a video ineligible for TikTok's For You feed.
- Copyright claims on YouTube vs TikTok
YouTube's Content ID puts a claim on the video, which usually stays up while the revenue moves. TikTok mutes or removes the video instead. Both let you appeal, and both can end an account for repeat infringement.
- How to appeal a muted TikTok video
Open the notification in your TikTok inbox, select Appeal and explain why you have the rights. If the appeal is approved the audio comes back. Replacing the sound from the Unlimited Sound Library is the faster fix.
- How to start on TikTok as a creator
Start with a Personal account, which keeps the full sound library and is the only type eligible for the Creator Rewards Program. That programme needs 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in 30 days and videos over a minute.
- Music licences for Instagram and TikTok
Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Envato and Bensound name Instagram and TikTok in their own pages. NCS and StreamBeats are built around YouTube and Twitch. None of them can stop a platform from muting a video.
- TikTok Commercial Music Library explained
The Commercial Music Library is the only TikTok music cleared for promoting a brand, product or service. Business Accounts see nothing else, and videos made with it may only be posted on TikTok.
- TikTok music copyright: what gets muted
TikTok does not issue claims. Its audio recognition system mutes the flagged part of a video or removes it. TikTok's own libraries are the safe choice, and outside music can be muted even when you hold a licence.
Music sources that name TikTok
These sources name TikTok in their own licence or help pages. A source missing from this list may still allow it. Its pages just do not say so. The full comparison has every source.
| Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Artlist Safest list | Subscription | Paid subscription | The Social plan clears 1 Instagram and 1 TikTok account. |
| Bensound | Free library | Free with a credit, or from $9.99 a month billed yearly | Recommends 60 seconds of music or less on TikTok. |
| Chosic | Free library | Free | For TikTok, Chosic suggests at least the artist's name and site, and contacting the artist to be sure. |
| Envato | Subscription | Paid subscription | Allowed if you turn off remixing and stitching. |
| Epidemic Sound Safest list | Subscription | From $8.99 a month | The Creator plan links one account per platform. |
| Uppbeat Safest list | Subscription | Free with a credit, or from $6.99 a month billed yearly | Clear on Instagram and TikTok, Uppbeat says. On TikTok, keep the music under 60 seconds or the video may be muted. |