Distributor guide · checked 25 October 2026

eMastered TikTok start time

eMastered uses a slider instead of a typed time and describes it as working on 30-second boundaries, so you may not be able to start exactly two seconds before the hook. Check where the hook falls inside the clip.

“You can choose the exact starting point—on 30-second boundaries—for preview clips that users hear on platforms like TikTok, Apple Music, and iTunes.”
— eMastered, edited 2 Oct 2025

New release

  1. On the submission form, go to "Preview Clip Start Time".
  2. Choose the second option to choose your own start.
  3. Use the slider to pick the section of the track for the preview.

Already released

You can change it on a live track via "Edit Release".

  1. Open the album page and click "Edit Release".
  2. Adjust the preview start time.
  3. Submit the update.

Good to know for eMastered

  • Format: A slider picks the start "on 30-second boundaries", for tracks over 1:16. It applies to TikTok, Apple Music and iTunes previews.
  • Clip sent to TikTok: 60 seconds.
  • Custom starts only on tracks longer than 1:16.
  • If the slider can't start right before the hook, pick the position just before it so the hook still falls inside the clip.
  • eMastered notes not all platforms play the full-minute clip, so preview lengths may differ.

Work out your exact eMastered start time

Fills in from the song title and artist when we can find it. You can always edit it.

Listen through and note the second the hook begins, or let "Find my hook" below suggest it. You always choose.

Not listed? We only include distributors whose own help pages document the TikTok start time.

Find my hook

Pick your own song (MP3 or WAV, up to 20 MB and 15 minutes). It is analysed in your browser and never uploaded. We look for the part that repeats and is loudest, which is usually the chorus.

1. Your TikTok start time

Enter this in eMastered

Preview Clip Start Time (second option → slider)

0:46

Starts 2 seconds before the hook; eMastered's 60-second clip runs to 1:46. The 2-second lead-in is our suggestion.

A slider picks the start "on 30-second boundaries", for tracks over 1:16. It applies to TikTok, Apple Music and iTunes previews.

Steps in eMastered

  1. On the submission form, go to "Preview Clip Start Time".
  2. Choose the second option to choose your own start.
  3. Use the slider to pick the section of the track for the preview.

Already released? You can change it on a live track via "Edit Release". eMastered Help

Full eMastered guide →

If you don't set it

Distributors document two different defaults, so we show both. Creators pick up to 15 seconds of the clip (CD Baby Support, Symphonic).

  • Default 29 seconds in (RouteNote): preview starts at 0:29

    Hook lands 19s in, past the first 15 seconds.

  • Default 33% of the track (Label Worx): preview starts at 1:03

    Your hook (0:48) is 15s before this start, so it would be skipped.

Sources: RouteNote Support (29 s), Label Worx Support (33%).

2. Creator brief for your song

The sound page delivered by your distributor, not a fan upload.

Platforms

Why these rules: one rightsholder per TikTok Sound ID and unofficial uploads on 97k+ videos (Pex, Feb 2025); Shorts over one minute with a copyright claim are blocked (YouTube Help); disclosure in the video, "#ad" is fine (FTC).

Your brief

The video
Make a short vertical video (9:16) for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts using the song as the sound.
The hook starts at 0:48 in the song. Trim the sound so the hook plays in your first few seconds.
Make the hook moment the payoff of the video: a transition, reveal, dance move, lip-sync line or reaction.
Keep the song audible. Don't talk over the hook.

Sound rules
- Use the official sound from the artist's profile, not one uploaded by someone else.
- Don't use a re-upload, sped-up or slowed version. Only one rightsholder can claim a TikTok Sound ID, so videos on unofficial uploads can leave the artist with no credit (Pex, Feb 2025).
- Don't upload the song as your own original audio.

YouTube Shorts
- Keep Shorts at 60 seconds or less. YouTube blocks Shorts longer than one minute that have an active copyright claim (YouTube Help).

Disclosure
- This is a paid promotion. Turn on the platform's paid-partnership / branded-content label.
- Also say or show "#ad" in the video itself, not only in the caption. The FTC says the disclosure should be in the video, not just the description, and "#ad" is fine.

Don't
- Don't buy views, likes or followers. Only verified views are paid.
- Don't re-post someone else's video or use a clip you don't have rights to.
- Don't make claims about the artist that aren't true.

Pre-fills a campaign with this brief. You review every field, set your reward per 1,000 verified views and budget, and nothing is charged until you fund it.

3. Release-week plan

Loading your dates…

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is saved unless you press "Launch as a campaign".

Frequently asked questions

Can I pick any second as my TikTok start on eMastered?

eMastered describes the slider as working on 30-second boundaries for tracks over 1:16, so check where your hook lands inside the chosen section.

Can I change it after release on eMastered?

Yes. eMastered says to click "Edit Release" on your album page, adjust the preview start time and submit the update.

What does TikTok use if I don't set a start time on eMastered?

eMastered's page doesn't say. Other distributors document 29 seconds in (RouteNote) or 33% of the track (Label Worx), so set it yourself.

Source

Screens change. If eMastered's form looks different, their help page is the authority. Other distributors: all TikTok start-time guides.

Related free music tools

Estimates, not guarantees. Real costs and results vary. This is general information, not legal or financial advice: check the licence terms that apply to you, and talk to a qualified professional before you rely on it.