A TikTok Music app could challenge Spotify and Apple

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It wouldn't be surprising if the company launched a music streaming app of its own. According to patent filings uncovered by Insider, Tik Tok is working on that.

Byte Dance applied for a trademark for "TikTok Music" in May. Users would be able to purchase, play, share, and download music. Users would be able to create, share, and recommend music, as well as listen to and watch video. ByteDance applied for a trademark for "TikTok Music" in Australia.

Music streaming is something ByteDance has experience with. Resso was launched in India, Brazil, and Indonesia. Resso has some of the same features as "TikTok Music", such as the ability to create playlists, share songs on social media, and interact with the app's community.

Existing users can be brought to Resso with the help of TikTok. In Brazil, the TikTok app has a button that directs users to Resso so they can listen to the full version of a song they are interested in.

Resso had over 40 million users in India, Brazil, and Indonesia as of November 2021, according to The Information. According to a report from Insider, Resso's monthly active users grew by 304 percent in India over the course of a year, as opposed to the 38 percent growth in the country.

It is not clear if ByteDance will develop a music streaming app based on the Resso framework or if it will come up with something completely different. It is possible that a music streaming app with TikTok ties-in could change the music streaming industry.