The TikTok Commercial Music Library (CML) is a set of pre-cleared songs that businesses can use on TikTok only. A licensed sound is a track whose rights you've cleared directly with the owners, for the platforms, territories and uses written in your licence. Most music problems in brand campaigns come from treating the first as if it were the second, or from assuming a trending sound is either.

Not legal advice. General information based on public platform terms and court filings. Talk to a music-licensing lawyer about specific campaigns.

Check a specific song in our free Can brands use this song? tool. It shows who released the recording and links straight to each platform's business library so you can confirm what's covered.

What does each platform's business library actually cover?

Each one covers its own platform, and nothing else.

LibraryWhat the platform saysWhere it stops
TikTok Commercial Music LibraryA pre-cleared library of about 1 million songs for organic posts, video ads and branded content (TikTok)"Commercial Uses outside of TikTok are not permitted" (CML terms); availability varies by region
Meta Sound CollectionRoyalty-free music and sound effects Meta provides for videos on Facebook and Instagram (TechCrunch)Meta's apps. Meta's Music Guidelines prohibit other music for commercial or non-personal purposes without the right licence (Meta)
YouTube Audio LibraryRoyalty-free production music and sound effects, found in YouTube Studio; tracks "won't be claimed" through Content ID (YouTube Help)YouTube says it can't give guidance on music issues off the platform; some tracks require a credit
A directly licensed trackWhatever the licence saysWhatever the licence doesn't say

Notice the pattern: none of the three platform libraries is a licence you can carry to another platform, your website or a TV spot.

Trending is a popularity signal, not a permission. TikTok's business help page says "businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial usage" (TikTok), and most trending sounds live in that general library. Labels have spent 2026 making the point in court: UMG and Concord sued Quince, Sony sued Kroger, and Warner sued companies tied to Ray-Ban's owner over 427 songs (Digital Music News, Digital Music News, Law Commentary). Our lawsuit tracker lists the cases with docket links.

Mistake 2: Cross-posting the TikTok cut to Reels and Shorts

This is the most common agency error, because the workflow encourages it: one edit, three placements. But a CML track used in a Reel is covered by nothing. TikTok's CML terms say you "may only post or share videos that include Commercial Sounds within TikTok" (TikTok CML terms).

Fix it in the edit plan: either deliver three versions with platform-library audio, or license one track for all three platforms in writing.

Mistake 3: Assuming the CML is the same everywhere

TikTok's own how-to tells businesses to "select the region where your campaign will run in order to find music available in that region" (TikTok). A multi-market campaign needs a check per market, not one check by whoever happens to be in the US office.

Mistake 4: Treating "cleared" as permanent

The CML terms let TikTok take down a video or mute its audio if TikTok loses the rights to a sound, and say TikTok has no liability to you when that happens (TikTok CML terms). Meta's guidelines likewise say content using music without proper authorisation may be blocked, muted or removed (Meta). For an evergreen ad you'll run for a year, a library track carries a risk a direct licence doesn't: it can go silent. Keep a log of which sound each live ad uses, and recheck long-running ones.

Mistake 5: Using a creator's "original sound"

A sound labelled "original sound" may well contain someone else's song. TikTok's business help page addresses this directly: if you use original sound from other users or other licensed sounds in organic or paid content, consult your legal team and make sure you have a proper licence (TikTok). Pex has documented how unofficial re-uploads and sped-up versions of hit songs get credited to random uploaders on tens of thousands of videos (Pex). "It says original sound" is not provenance.

Mistake 6: Licensing half the song

A song usually has two copyrights: the sound recording (typically a label) and the composition (typically a publisher). The lawsuits show both sides suing together. The Quince complaint lists 67 sound recordings and 71 musical compositions, brought by labels and music publishers (Digital Music News). If you license a track directly, make sure the deal covers both, or that a production-music library's licence clearly includes both.

There's a related trap: holding some licences doesn't cover everything. Sony's complaint says Kroger had held at least fourteen advertising licences with Sony between 2017 and 2025, and Sony still alleges 392 unlicensed uses on social media (Digital Music News). A licence covers the uses it names.

Mistake 7: Leaving music out of the creator brief

When creators post on your behalf, their music choice can become your problem. In the 2022 Bang Energy case, a federal court found that the brand's right to review influencer videos and refuse payment met the "control" element of vicarious liability; Bang's social guidelines didn't prohibit copyrighted music (Arnold & Porter). The Kroger complaint goes further and claims the brand contributed to infringement by driving its influencers' use of the music.

Also remember the creator's personal account sees TikTok's full library by default. TikTok says personal accounts have to switch to "Commercial Sounds" in the Sounds dropdown; only Business Accounts see the CML automatically (TikTok). If the brief doesn't say which library to use, creators will pick from the one in front of them.

A brief that works has four lines:

  1. Audio source: original audio, or a CML / Sound Collection / Audio Library track on the platform you're posting to, or the licensed track we supply.
  2. Platform: one platform per audio choice, no cross-posting without new audio.
  3. Proof: name the sound and paste its link when you submit.
  4. Disclosure: in the video itself, as the FTC asks (FTC).

So when should you use which?

SituationBest option
TikTok-only organic post or adCML track for that region, or original audio
Same video on TikTok, Reels and ShortsOne directly licensed track, or separate platform-library audio per version
Long-running paid adDirect licence (no mute risk), or original audio
Creator campaign at scaleOriginal audio or a supplied licensed track, written into the brief
Promoting an artist's own songThe artist or label grants the use; creators use the official sound

That last row is the one case where using a popular song is the whole point. If you're an artist or label running a sound campaign, set your TikTok start time on the hook, generate a brief with our Song Promo Kit, and estimate the budget in the sound campaign cost calculator.

On Content Rewardz, brands write requirements like the audio rule into the campaign, and pay only for verified views on submissions that follow them.

FAQ

What is the difference between the Commercial Music Library and the normal TikTok sounds?

The Commercial Music Library is TikTok's pre-cleared library for businesses, covering organic posts, ads and branded content on TikTok. TikTok says businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial purposes.

Can I use a TikTok Commercial Music Library song in an Instagram Reel?

No. TikTok's terms say Commercial Sounds may only be used within TikTok and that no rights are granted for commercial uses outside TikTok.

Is a creator's original sound safe for a brand to use?

Not automatically. TikTok's business help page tells businesses using other users' original sounds to consult their legal team and make sure they have a proper licence.

Do I need to license both the song and the recording?

Usually, yes. A recording and the underlying composition are separate copyrights, which is why label lawsuits like UMG and Concord v. Quince list both sound recordings and musical compositions.

No. It is general information. For a specific campaign, ask a qualified music-licensing lawyer.

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