• by Colin Kirkland , August 5, 2022

In a push to engage music fans and boost live events offerings, TikTok and Ticketmaster have partnered to launch a feature allowing TikTok users to search for live events and purchase tickets directly in the short-form video app. 

Eligible creators are now able to add links to their TikTok content, directing viewers to the in-app ticket sale service. The new feature will only be available to select creators and will scale to more users over time, according to Ticketmaster. 

The ticketing company says it wants to reach fans on the platforms they use the most, including TikTok, which is used monthly by more than 1 billion people. Ticketmaster also wants to empower event organizers and creators to reach ticket buyers in a new way. 

Stars like Demi Lovato, One Republic, Usher, Backstreet Boys, and WWE performers have already signed on to use the ticketing mini-app. 

Ticketmaster is attempting to reach younger users. That focus became clear five months ago, it launched a similar feature with Snap Inc. that matches users with live events they might be interested in based on their preferences. Snapchatters can see which of their friends match for the same event, and can then make in-app ticket purchases via Ticketmaster. 

TikTok, on the other hand, is seeking to further expand its increasingly important impact on the music industry. 

News surfaced earlier this week that TikTok parent company ByteDance filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “TikTok Music,” a potential music streaming platform set to rival Spotfy and Apple. 

In addition to the U.S., ByteDance has filed for a “TikTok Music” trademark in Australia, the U.K., Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia and Costa Rica. 

ByteDance also recently launched a music marketing and distribution platform called SoundOn, with a pre-release feature that lets artists leak their songs to TikTok users before the official release.