[FAQ]

Hi guys,

I love making TikTok videos and I want to use popular or trending songs to make them more engaging, you know? But I’m a bit worried and confused about the copyright rules for music in 2025.

Can you actually get a copyright strike, or have your video’s sound removed, if you use a popular song that you find inside TikTok’s own sound library? And are the rules different if you have a personal account versus a business account?

Hope someone can clarify this for me. Thanks so much!

[Jeff Bullas]

This is for general informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice. You should consult with a legal professional for advice on specific copyright matters.

The question of whether you can get a copyright strike for using popular music on TikTok depends almost entirely on how you are using the music and what type of account you have.

First, let us consider using sounds from within TikTok’s own music library. TikTok has licensing agreements with most major music labels and publishers. These agreements allow them to offer a vast library of popular songs for users to include in their videos. If you have a personal account and are creating non-commercial content, using a sound directly from TikTok’s general sound library is typically safe. You are creating your content under the umbrella of TikTok’s licenses, so it is highly unlikely you will receive a copyright strike for doing so. However, it is possible for a sound to be removed from the library later if a licensing agreement changes, which might result in the audio being muted on your existing videos that used it.

Second, the rules are different for Business Accounts. To avoid legal issues related to using popular music for commercial or promotional purposes, Business Accounts on TikTok are generally restricted to a separate “Commercial Music Library.” This library contains tracks that are royalty-free and pre-cleared for business use. If a Business Account uses a popular song from the general library, they are at a much higher risk of having the video’s audio muted or the video removed for copyright infringement.

Third, the biggest risk comes from uploading a video with your own added music. If you edit your video outside of the TikTok app and add a popular, copyrighted song that you do not have a license for, and then upload that video to TikTok, you are at a very high risk of copyright infringement. TikTok’s automated systems are very effective at detecting copyrighted audio, and this will likely result in your video’s audio being muted, the video itself being taken down, or you receiving a copyright infringement notification.

While TikTok’s “strike” system may not be as publicly defined as YouTube’s, repeated copyright infringements can certainly lead to penalties on your account, including temporary suspensions or even a permanent ban. More commonly, you will experience content takedowns and audio mutes.

In summary, for personal, non-promotional content, it is generally safe to use sounds available in TikTok’s general library. For any business or branded content, you must use the pre-cleared Commercial Music Library. And you should avoid uploading videos containing copyrighted music that you have added yourself without a proper license.

Cheers,

Jeff

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