TikTok Parent ByteDance Selects Rumblefish to Handle Rights Administration

ByteDance has tapped HFA’s Rumblefish to handle data, licensing and royalty management services to support its TikTok and CapCut products.

The main players:

• CapCut is the preferred program for content creators when editing short-form videos.

• US-based Rumblefish is part of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), which is owned by SESAC Music Group’s Music Services division.

• Rumblefish offers music rights management services to businesses.

• It currently works with platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, as well as clients across businesses such as background music services, investment funds, jukebox operators, AR/VR/AI companies and more.

• As per Digital Music News, Rumblefish also specializes in micro-licensing and online video monetization, which will assist platforms like TikTok in legally clearing music for its user-generated content.

The deal:

• To support the use of music across TikTok and CapCut, HFA’s Rumblefish will offer publishers the opportunity for direct licensing, linking sound recording-to-composition data, processing usage data, and providing royalty calculation, distribution, copyright research, and publisher support.

• As per Music Business Worldwide, publishers will be able to sign multi-territory licensing deals with ByteDance, “dependent on the geographical scope” of each publishing company’s rights.

What they said:

• Lauren Apolito, EVP of Strategy and Business Development of HFA’s Rumblefish: “We are thrilled to offer the music publishing community the opportunity to license both TikTok and CapCut.”

• She adds: “With our unparalleled reach to the publishing market and our robust and scalable infrastructure, HFA’s Rumblefish is uniquely positioned to handle the massive scale of ByteDance’s licensing and data processing needs across two of its key product offerings on a global basis.”

• John Josephson, Chairman & CEO of SESAC Music Group: “At SESAC Music Group, we’re working to leverage our global tech and data platform to assist innovative hyperscalers like ByteDance to utilize music by obtaining authorization directly from songwriters and music publishers.”

• He adds: “With our best-in-class licensing, data, and royalty administration capabilities, we help drive new sources of revenue for songwriters and music publishers by enabling platforms like TikTok and CapCut to create meaningful user experiences.”