TikTok’s distributor SoundOn now keeps 10 percent of what Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music pay out on its free Lite plan, and charges $30 a year for a Core plan that passes through 100 percent. That puts the break-even at $300 of annual streaming income, but the free tier’s bigger cost is what it leaves out.
What SoundOn promised in 2022
When TikTok launched SoundOn in March 2022, it said the service “pays out 100% royalties to music creators in the first year and 90% after that”.
It went live in the US, UK, Brazil and Indonesia, the last two open to label catalogues as well, Music Ally’s Stuart Dredge reported. For TikTok and Resso themselves, SoundOn’s FAQ promised artists would “obtain 100% royalty for an unlimited time,” per Music Business Worldwide’s Murray Stassen.
What it charges now
SoundOn’s pricing page, as shown to a US visitor on 5 October 2026, lists three plans:
- Lite: $0, one primary artist, “Keep 90% streaming earnings,” and a “Quota-based” release allowance.
- Core: $2.50 a month billed annually, so $30 a year, up to two primary artists, unlimited releases, 100 percent.
- Max: from $6.25 a month billed annually for five primary artists, scaling to 500, 100 percent.
The FAQ on that page is explicit: “Under the Lite plan, SoundOn retains 10% of revenue earned from digital streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.” It lists no first-year exception.
The break-even is $300 a year
Lite charges a percentage, Core a flat fee. They meet where 10 percent of your streaming income equals $30.
- $150 a year from those three services: Lite costs $15, Core $30. Stay on Lite.
- $1,200 a year: Lite costs $120, Core $30. Core saves $90.
- A five-act roster on Max: $75 a year, or $15 per artist.
Timing matters. SoundOn says an upgraded rate applies “starting from the first day of the calendar month in which you upgrade,” so upgrading on 28 July puts all of July at 100 percent.
There is no downgrade mid-term, and releases stay online after a subscription ends.
What the free plan leaves out
The page’s comparison table marks these as excluded from Lite but included in Core:
- YouTube Content ID
- CapCut integration and the TikTok Commercial Music Library
- The TikTok artist checkmark, pre-saves and SoundOn promotion access
- Store automator and editing released tracks
Lite also delivers to “Major stores” rather than “All available stores,” and to “Selective platforms” on social. Region selection, choosing which countries a release goes to, is Max-only.
The 100 percent covers streaming services only. For “YouTube, Meta, and TikTok, separate fees or revenue-sharing terms may apply depending on the platform and monetization method,” the FAQ says. The 2022 “unlimited” TikTok wording is not repeated on the pricing page.
Why Brazil and Indonesia should read the table first
Both were SoundOn launch markets, and both lean on video. In Indonesia, roughly half of streaming revenue comes from video. In Brazil, sertanejo is often heard on YouTube before any subscription service.
Lite includes no Content ID, so fan videos using your track on YouTube are not claimed through SoundOn. That gap can outweigh the 10 percent.
TikTok also pays on use, not plays: “you get paid based on how often your music is used in TikTok videos,” the company said at launch, per Music Ally. When a sound takes off, that income runs on terms the pricing page leaves open.
Before you pick a tier
- Add up 12 months of Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon income. Under $300, Lite’s 10 percent is the cheaper fee.
- If YouTube is a top-three source, Lite costs more than 10 percent. Read our Content ID guide first.
- Releasing as a duo plus a solo alias? That is two primary artists, so Lite does not fit.
- Licensed a track for some countries only? Only Max restricts territories.
- Leaving later is a re-delivery, not a transfer, so choose with the exit in mind.
The rule holds for every distributor, InterSpace Distribution included: a free tier is priced in the split, and the split changes by source. Get the per-source table in writing before you upload.
