TikTok's parent company ByteDance is working on an AI-powered music app to reduce the barriers to music creation greatly.

Ripple, the app's name, is a free music production application currently in closed beta testing exclusively available in the United States.

This app is currently available for a small number of testers in the United States, with plans to officially launch in the coming months and expand its presence in the Chinese and global markets.

Through Ripple, users have the ability to directly input a melody by singing or humming into the app. Utilizing machine learning, the application expands the melody and transforms it into a complete instrumental song.

Ripple is an independent project under ByteDance, and its core functionality utilizes artificial intelligence technology to automatically generate matching accompaniments and lyrics based on users' voices, styles, and emotions. Users can directly sing or hum in the application and then, through simple operations, adjust the rhythm, melody, style, and effects of the music. They can even modify the content and language of the lyrics. Ripple also provides a rich library of music materials, including various instruments, sounds, and samples, for users to freely choose and combine.

The app's model was trained using music that is either owned by or licensed to ByteDance.

In May, a new job posting provided further clues about the plans.

In a job advertisement, Beijing headquartered ByteDance described that they are seeking a product manager to join a team "dedicated to developing an artificial intelligence tool that provides intelligent music creation and audio editing features" in Los Angeles.

The job posting further explained that the vision for this application is to "significantly lower the barriers to music creation, inspire musical creativity and expression, and further enrich music content." Successful candidates would need to have knowledge of music creation tools as a product, or be a music enthusiast with instrumental playing and music composition skills, as well as a passion for music.

According to ByteDance, Ripple seeks to cultivate and discover more talented musicians through its AI music application and provide them with a platform for showcasing and connecting. Additionally, Ripple has a close connection with Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and TikTok. Users can directly upload their created music to these short video platforms and share it with hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

However, Ripple may appear promising, it also faces several challenges and obstacles.

While AI music generation technology has made significant advancements, it still faces certain issues and limitations, such as inconsistent song quality, lyrics lacking coherence, and lack of stylistic consistency. In order to attract and retain users, Ripple must continually optimize and enhance its AI algorithms and models to improve the accuracy, diversity, and personalization of music generation.

In the context of AI music generation, the issue of music copyright ownership becomes complex and sensitive. Determining who holds the copyright to AI-generated music works can be challenging. It involves questions such as whether the AI system itself can be considered the creator and copyright holder, or if the copyright should belong to the user utilizing the AI technology, or even the platform providing the AI technology.

Thanks to Douyin and TikTok, Bytedance has built up rich musical resources in connection to intellectual properties, influencers, and marketing channels. TikTok has already signed a licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music, and Universal Music which allows the app's content creators to use their artists' song for creative purposes.

TikTok and Douyin have emerged as influential music platforms, shaping the music market significantly. The apps' algorithms play a crucial role in identifying song genres and suggesting them to relevant users, often contributing to the songs becoming popular hits. Consequently, an increasing number of artists opt to debut their new songs on TikTok and Douyin, hoping to capitalize on the potential for viral success.