TikTok Owner ByteDance Tests Music App To Rival Spotify, Apple, YouTube

TikTok owner ByteDance is testing a new music app that could offer real competition to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other global streaming music players.

The new music app called Resso is available in India and Indonesia, two of Asia’s most populous countries and big markets for TikTok. Since a quiet launch six months ago, Resso has been installed about 27,000 times on iOS and Android, according to app tracker Sensor Tower, which added that public promotion of the app only began at the end of November.

Resso displays lyrics in realtime and lets users post their comments under songs, according to Bloomberg. They can also generate music-accompanied GIFs and videos similar to TikTok.

There is a monthly paid subscription option at a cost matching Spotify in India – 119 rupees ($1.70). Premium Resso users can download music and listen ad-free.

While some large Asian indie labels have signed on, there is no music from the catalogs of Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

“Resso is currently in a beta testing phase,” the company said in a statement. “We are optimistic about its long-term prospects but we are still very early in the process and only in a limited number of developing markets.”