TikTok Signs Rumblefish Deal to Streamline Global Publisher Royalties

ByteDance just handed the music‑publishing world something it has long demanded: a clean, single pipeline for licensing data and royalties.

On June 26, SESAC‑owned Rumblefish announced it will run global rights administration for both TikTok and its sister editing app CapCut, linking composition data to every sound recording used on the platforms.

Why it matters:

The deal moves TikTok from the “black‑box” royalty model toward direct, multi‑territory licensing — a shift publishers have pushed for since the app’s 2018 explosion.

• Direct payouts: Publishers can license TikTok and CapCut without collecting‑society middlemen, speeding statements and cash flow.
• Data leverage: Rumblefish will cross‑reference song and sound IDs against usage at TikTok’s scale, reducing unmatched royalties — a chronic pain point for rightsholders.
• Marketing upside: With cleaner rights data, brands can clear tracks for hashtag challenges and ads in hours instead of weeks, opening new promo inventory.

By the numbers:

• 1.59 billion monthly TikTok users in Q1 2025 — fifth‑largest social platform globally.
• 130 million creators livestream on TikTok every day, driving billions of music‑backed views.
• 300 million monthly active users on CapCut and 81 % of the mobile‑video‑editing market by mid‑2024.
• Rumblefish’s backend already processes royalties for clients spanning VR, karaoke, and streaming, giving it infrastructure at “hyperscaler” volume.

Reality check:

TikTok’s deal is publisher‑side only; labels still operate under separate SoundOn and direct contracts. Without matching master rights, some tracks may stay muted or geo‑blocked.

Yes, the pipeline promises faster statements, but TikTok’s short‑form, user‑generated context means per‑use payments remain fractions of a cent. Mid‑tier publishers warn they will measure success by the share of previously unmatched royalties recovered, not press‑release optimism.

What’s next:

• Implementation clock: Rumblefish will start onboarding publishers in Q3; expect the first unified royalty statements in early 2026 fiscal reports.
• Pressure on rivals: YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels lack equivalent composition‑level dashboards. Their publishing partners will demand parity.
• New ad products: TikTok’s media team hints at “cleared catalog” ad slots that guarantee licensing certainty for brand campaigns — a potential new revenue line.
• Long‑tail opportunity: Direct licensing opens the door for micro‑publishers in emerging markets to monetize viral sounds without local PRO complexity.

The bottom line: TikTok just shifted from a compliance laggard to a potential royalty trendsetter. Artist teams should audit their publishing metadata now so they are first in queue when the Rumblefish switch flips.