How To Make Money On TikTok as an Independent Musician

Are you on TikTok and want to make some money from your efforts? TikTok isn’t just a place to go viral; it’s a platform where you can actually earn some cash and collect royalties as an independent artist. The monetization landscape has changed a lot since the early Creator Fund days, and now there are multiple ways to turn your activity (and your music) into income. Here’s everything you need to know…

How To Make Money On TikTok: Creator Rewards, Royalties, and Fan Support (Updated for 2025)

TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program

The old Creator Fund has been replaced in most regions with the Creator Rewards Program. This is TikTok’s main program for paying creators directly for their video content.

Here’s how it works:

• TikTok pays you based on qualified views of eligible videos.
• The per-video payout model has been fully deprecated. Earnings are now view-based.
• The exact amount depends on things like your audience’s location (U.S. and Western Europe usually pay more than lower-ad-spend territories), engagement rates, and watch time.

Eligibility basics:

• Must be 18 or older.
• Have at least 10,000 followers.
• At least 100,000 valid video views in the last 30 days.
• Post original content that follows TikTok’s Community Guidelines.
• Some regions may have slightly different requirements.

What counts:

• Original videos (not Duets, Stitches, or ads).
• Content over a minimum length (longer videos with higher retention generally perform best).
• High watch time and engagement help increase payouts.

💡 Note: The Creator Rewards Program is separate from your music royalties. It doesn’t affect the money you earn through your distributor.

Music Royalties on TikTok: UGC vs. PGC

If your music is distributed to TikTok through Symphonic (or another distributor), you’re entitled to royalties whenever it’s used on the platform. But there are two main buckets:

• PGC (Professionally Generated Content): When your track is available in TikTok’s official music library and someone uses it in their video.
• UGC (User Generated Content): When a user uploads your track manually (not from the library), TikTok’s system recognizes and matches it.

TikTok has now fully transitioned to a view-based royalty model, meaning payouts are determined by how many times videos featuring your music are actually watched, not just how many videos are created with it. Rates vary by region, distributor agreements, and whether it’s UGC or PGC.

If you’re a Symphonic client, don’t worry! We handle this collection for you and make sure those royalties flow back into your account without you having to break a sweat. 💪

Tracking Your TikTok Performance with SymphonicMS

Knowing how royalties work is one thing, but being able to actually see how your music is performing on TikTok is what helps you plan smarter. That’s where Symphonic’s TikTok Analytics in the SymphonicMS comes in. With it, you get things like:

• Overview Analytics: Daily counts of videos created and views across your entire catalog. (Views are now the main driver of royalties.)
• Engagement Analytics: See how often videos using your music are Favorited, Commented on, Shared, or Liked.
• Artist, Track, and Territory Analytics: Breaks down your top-performing songs, artists, and the countries where fans are creating the most content with your tracks.

When we deliver your music to TikTok, it goes into TikTok’s official library. If a creator uses it from there, it counts as PGC (Professionally Generated Content). If they upload the track themselves and TikTok detects it, it’s marked as UGC (User Generated Content). Both show up in your analytics, so you know exactly how and where your music is being used.

By checking these insights regularly, you can figure out which songs are taking off, what territories are generating momentum, and how fan engagement is building around your music. All of that makes it easier to decide what to promote next and where to focus your energy.

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📚🤔 Want to learn more? Dive deeper below…

How To Create a Social Media Content Calendar for Musicians

How to Track Royalties and Payouts as an Independent Artist

How To Know If You’re Eligible To Collect Publishing Royalties

Basic Accounting Terms Every Music Entrepreneur Should Know

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Live Gifts & Donations

When you go Live, fans can send you virtual gifts that convert into real money. Whether you’re performing, doing a Q&A, or hanging out with your audience, this is a direct way to monetize fan engagement.

Brand Partnerships & Influencer Marketing

If you’ve built a unique style, aesthetic, or community, brands may see you as the perfect partner to reach their audience. These partnerships can look like:

• Sponsored posts where you feature a product in your content.
• Product placement in a music video or live session.
• Full-on campaigns where a brand partners with you long-term to create a series of posts or even co-branded content.

It doesn’t always have to be big corporations, either. Many smaller, indie-friendly brands are eager to work with up-and-coming artists who have a strong, authentic voice. The key is to partner with brands that align with your values.

And don’t forget about collaborations with other musicians! Promoting each other’s merch, shouting out releases, or even creating challenge videos together can drive engagement and revenue while keeping things organic to the platform.

So… What Exactly Affects How Much You Earn?

A few key factors influence how much money you actually see from TikTok:

• Geography: Audiences in higher-spending ad markets (U.S., U.K., Canada, etc.) generate higher payouts.
• Watch time & engagement: TikTok prioritizes content that keeps people watching. Retention boosts both reach and earnings.
• Content type: Original, creative, non-promotional videos are more likely to qualify for Rewards.
• Community use of your music: The more videos made with your track (and the more views those videos rack up), the more royalties you’ll collect.

To get the most out of these factors, just focus on creating content that grabs attention in the first few seconds, encourages fans to use your music, and keeps viewers engaged until the end. Pay attention to which territories and video types perform best using your analytics in the SMS, then double down on those trends. Even small tweaks like experimenting with hooks, video length, or content style can make a noticeable difference in both reach and royalties.

To wrap things up…

No matter how good your music is, gaining recognition for your work on TikTok lies within how much effort you put in. TikTok’s payout system may not always be super straightforward, but one thing is clear: it’s no longer just about “going viral.” With the Creator Rewards Program, UGC vs. PGC royalties, Live gifts, and brand deals, independent artists have many ways to earn.

Keep your music available in TikTok’s library, post consistently, encourage fans to use your tracks, and focus on content that drives watch time. Do that, and you’ll be setting yourself up to collect not just views, but real income.

You got this!

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Did you miss our last masterclass with TikTok? ⚡️👀

No worries! In it, Jess Messier, Head of Indie Label Partnerships for TikTok North America, joined us to give an in-depth look at TikTok’s new features for artists, including fresh discovery tools, fan engagement options, and the growing connection between TikTok and streaming platforms.

To see a rundown of everything you missed, check out this recap.