TikTok Problematic Deliveries are releases that may be ineligible for UGC scanning or are linked to potentially fraudulent activity.
TikTok identifies 4 categories that may be linked to potentially fraudulent activity and should be reviewed and actioned promptly:
Hidden Recordings: these look like original artist recordings but contain one or
more "hidden" recording snippets within the track. To trick the scanning into
misallocating royalties, bad actors will insert a snippet of a popular song in the reference file. These deliveries are malicious as the snippet of the recording does not blend into the original recording.
UGC / PGC Copycat: These deliveries are typically 1:1 copies of trending PGC or UGC audio on the platform. They are often rips of popular recordings that have been given different artist and title names to appear as original recordings. Other times they are rips of popular videos or sounds on the platform related to trending UGC like mashups, dance challenges, or memes.
Viral Mix / Mashup: the song contains multiple recordings that have been mixed into one asset, usually to create fraudulent matches (usually multiple UGC/PGC copycats). If a rightsholder does own all the rights to the audio in a mix, these are discouraged as they can cause overinflated matches.
Sped Up / Slowed Down: popular songs that have been altered by increasing or decreasing the beats per minute of a recording. This is a popular trend on the TikTok platform. Rightsholders who are not the original recording owners should
not be delivering these to the TikTok library.
Additional Review Needed: This is a mixed bag that contains suspicious content flagged internally or content that may be ineligible for UGC scanning on the platform per our guidelines (E.g. generic sounds or soundalikes).
Please avoid delivering this type of content to TikTok:
Public domain content or audio files that contain public domain content.
Content that contains very generic and common sounds. Examples include audience applause, white noise, simple drum loops, animal noises, cell phone rings, laughter, spoken word, TV/Movie dialogue, and talking that is not accompanied by music.
Content that contains non-exclusive beats or sounds. For example, songs that contain drum loops or samples that are contained in sample packs.
Content that contains multiple recordings within it. For example DJ mixes, full albums, and compilations.
Content that you licensed from another party on a non-exclusive basis. For example, content that was licensed for soundtracks or compilations, or that you licensed from a production music catalog.
"Soundalikes" or karaoke versions of songs.
Classical music, especially public domain works.
Live versions of songs that sound very similar to the recorded version of that same song.
Derivative versions of recordings owned by other parties. For example, remixes of songs for which you do not own the original version of or have not licensed the rights for the remix from the original rightsholder.
Re-recorded masters, re-mastered tracks, or remixed tracks of songs where you do not own the original recording.
Any audio where you do not control the right to claim UGC videos that use 100% of the delivered audio.