TikTok has built an infrastructure for musicians. The tools are real. The confusion is real too. Most of the frustration comes from two things:
- TikTok uses similar language for different systems
- Some features only surface after activity thresholds are met
If you’ve ever applied, gotten approved, and then wondered why nothing changed… There are two separate systems involved, and they solve different problems.
Artist Accounts are about music, not status
A TikTok Artist Account (also called Artist Certification) connects your profile to your music inside TikTok’s ecosystem. It is not a popularity badge and it is not identity verification.
Think of it as enabling TikTok’s ability to understand:
- who the artist is
- which sounds are official
- which releases belong to you
Once that connection exists, TikTok can offer music-specific tools.
What changes once an Artist Account is active
After approval, artists gain access to a set of features designed around discovery and fan connection.
- Music Tab appears on your profile once you are certified and have delivered at least three tracks to TikTok through your distributor. This tab automatically populates with your catalog and updates as new music is delivered.
- New Release feature allows you to spotlight a release before and after it drops. TikTok currently supports highlighting a release up to fourteen days before release and up to thirty days after. During that window, the release can also be surfaced on the music detail pages of older songs, helping direct attention back to new music.
- By Artist feature lets you pin a preferred video to the top of a music detail page. Artists often use this to control which clip represents a song first, especially during a release cycle.
- Behind the Song gives artists a way to share the story or context behind a track. It’s less about performance metrics and more about strengthening the artist-fan relationship.
Why it Doesn’t Always Show Up
This is the most common point of confusion. Being approved for an Artist Account does not automatically display the Artist Tag under your username. TikTok currently requires two additional conditions:
- at least four songs delivered to the platform
- at least one hundred videos created using your music
If those thresholds aren’t met, the account can still be certified and functional. The tag simply won’t surface yet. Nothing is broken. The account just hasn’t crossed TikTok’s visibility threshold.
How to apply for a TikTok Artist Account
Artist Account applications must be completed from the TikTok mobile app. The process does not work on desktop. If you try from a computer, it will fail or not appear at all. From your phone:
- Open TikTok and go to your profile
- Tap the three dots in the upper right
- Select TikTok Studio
- Go to Artist Hub / TikTok for Artists
- Tap Apply now
- Search for your artist name in TikTok’s music library
- Claim the correct artist profile
- Upload proof that you control the music
- Screenshots from your distributor or streaming platform
- The screenshots must clearly show your artist name and releases
- Submit the application
Approval typically takes 7 to 30 days. You can also access the official mobile-only Artist Account application link.
Blue Check Verification (A Separate System)
The blue check has nothing to do with Artist Accounts or music delivery. This is TikTok’s identity verification program. It confirms that an account belongs to a specific individual, not that the account is actively releasing music.
You can apply for a blue check without being an artist. You can be an artist without a blue check. One does not unlock the other.
Blue check applications are submitted through TikTok settings or, if unavailable in-app, through TikTok’s official verification form. At a minimum, TikTok expects:
- a filled-out profile image and bio
- at least one post
- a valid email address and phone number tied to the account
Approval is discretionary and not guaranteed.
Key takeaways
- Artist Accounts don’t create momentum. They respond to it.
- Certification connects your profile to your catalog and unlocks the ability to use music-specific tools. What actually causes tags, tabs, and highlights to appear is delivery plus usage.
- Songs need to be on the platform. People need to be using them.
- Once that signal exists, TikTok’s systems know what to surface and where.
- If you think of Artist Accounts as infrastructure rather than validation, the rollout makes a lot more sense.
