How to Get Your Music on TikTok & Instagram

The Secret: Social Audio Libraries

You can technically just post a video with your music playing in the background, but once your song is distributed, those videos can get muted. But if you want fans to be able to "Use this Sound" with your official track and tap through to your artist profile and streaming apps—you need your song in the platform's official sound library. This requires a digital distributor.

Why it matters:

• Fans can use your sound in their own videos
• Fans can save your song to Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music
• You earn royalties based on how many videos use your song, not on views

Supported platforms:

• TikTok (ByteDance)
• Instagram Reels & Facebook Stories (Meta)
• Snapchat & YouTube Shorts

Why We Use DistroKid for Social Video

DistroKid makes social delivery a simple opt-in. When you upload a track for Spotify, you can also tick TikTok and Instagram, and DistroKid delivers the song to their music libraries. They also let you request the "preview clip" start time for TikTok, in 60-second steps, for tracks longer than 1:16.

What They Do Best

• Request a start time for your TikTok snippet (60-second steps)
• Collect revenue when creators use your sound
• Send tracks to CapCut's music library
• Unlimited uploads with their basic plan

When to look elsewhere

• You only want to release covers (licensing is tricky)
• You need advanced label sync-licensing deals
• You aren't distributing traditional streaming audio at all

The Reality Check: Marketing

Just because it's there, doesn't mean they'll use it.

Having your official audio on TikTok earns little if no one is making videos with it. Your job is to drive the initial velocity. Make plenty of videos using your own sound from TikTok's sound library. Start a trend. Teach a dance. If the algorithm picks it up, the platform's users can carry it further.

Ask yourself:

• Which part of my song is the catchiest?
• Am I creating short-form content to promote the audio?
• Have I claimed my official Artist account on TikTok?

Our advice? Make templates.

CapCut lets verified creators publish editing templates for other users. Since DistroKid can send your music to CapCut's library, you can make an editing template featuring your song if CapCut has verified you as a creator. If the template catches on, more people may hear your song.

After upload, the real work begins.

How Does Your Song Become a Sound People Can Use?

The song has to reach each app’s music library. On DistroKid’s upload form, tick “TikTok & other ByteDance stores” (which also covers CapCut) and “Instagram & Facebook.” Neither needs the paid Social Media Pack. DistroKid estimates TikTok goes live in about 1 to 2 days, though it also says songs can take 1 to 3 weeks to become searchable in the app; Instagram and Facebook take 1 to 2 weeks.

Then use it the right way:

• Add the song from the in-app sound library. A video uploaded with your track already on it can be muted.
• Post from a personal account. TikTok Business accounts can’t use library music; brands get a separate Commercial Music Library.
• Give Instagram and Facebook posts real visuals. Meta’s music rules say recorded audio should not be the main purpose of a post.
• Request your TikTok preview start time on the upload form (60-second steps, tracks over 1:16).

Meta only takes audio you created yourself that is distinct enough, so production loops, soundalikes, and meditation or sleep music may not qualify.

How Do Short-Video Royalties and TikTok Artist Accounts Work?

According to DistroKid, TikTok pays based on the number of videos that use your song, not on how often those videos are watched. TikTok sets the rates, and they change over time. There are two kinds of use:

• Library use: someone adds your song from the in-app library. TikTok or Meta pays, and DistroKid passes on 100%.
• User-generated content: your music was already in the video when it was uploaded. This earns only if you buy the Social Media Pack ($4.95 per single or $14.95 per album per year as of November 2026), and DistroKid keeps 20%. On Instagram and Facebook, these matches run through Meta’s Rights Manager.

For credit on TikTok, claim a TikTok Artist Account: in TikTok Studio, open Artist Hub, tap Apply now, find your artist profile, tap Claim, and upload screenshots from your distributor dashboard showing your artist name and releases. TikTok replies within 30 days. Approval adds an Artist Tag and a Music Tab to your profile and makes you eligible for TikTok for Artists, which shows the videos using your sound (in supported countries). On Instagram, add your profile URL on the upload form; the link appears once your song is used in at least one reel.

Can You Put AI-Generated Music on TikTok and Instagram?

Yes. None of the TikTok or Meta rules we checked bans songs made with AI tools, but both ask for labels on realistic AI content:

• TikTok: creators must label AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people. Unlabeled posts may be removed, restricted or labeled by TikTok, and even labeled content is not allowed if it misleads on matters of public importance or harms individuals. TikTok also labels images and videos automatically when they carry C2PA Content Credentials from some other platforms.
• Instagram and Facebook: Meta requires its disclosure tool for posts with photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and may penalize people who skip it. Labeled posts show “AI info.”
• Impersonation: TikTok treats impersonation as deceptive behavior, and DistroKid’s rules forbid music that mimics someone’s voice, likeness or identity without permission.

On DistroKid, use AI Credits at upload to say whether AI generated the lyrics, the music or the audio.