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When Did Musically Become TikTok? The Full Story Behind The Switch

TikTok and Musical.ly merged on August 2, 2018. ByteDance acquired the popular lip-syncing app for $1 billion. Musical.ly had built an impressive user base of over 200 million users worldwide at the time of this strategic collaboration. The story behind Musical.ly's transformation into TikTok deserves a closer look to understand the reasons for this significant merger.


The rise of Musically and its early success


TikTok's story started with a failed educational app. Shanghai-based entrepreneurs Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang created a learning platform called Cicada in 2014. Their platform let experts share 3-5 minute educational videos. The concept didn't attract enough users.


How Musically started and what it offered


Money was running low, and failure seemed likely until Zhu had a breakthrough moment on a train ride through Silicon Valley. He watched teenagers switch between listening to music and taking selfies or videos. This observation led him to create an app that brought music, videos, and social networking together.


Musical.ly made its debut in August 2014. The app let users create 15-second lip-sync videos with popular songs. 


Users loved its easy-to-use features:

  • Various speed options (time-lapse, fast, normal, slow motion)

  • Pre-set filters and video effects

  • Easy editing tools like Instagram

  • Options to browse trending songs and hashtags


The app started slowly with about 500 daily downloads. The team stayed positive because users spent lots of time on the app, even though there weren't many of them yet.


Why it became popular among teens


Everything changed in April 2015. The team made one simple design change that worked wonders - they moved the Musical.ly logo in videos so people could see it on other platforms. The app shot to #1 in the iOS App Store by July 2015.


Teenagers loved Musical.ly for good reasons. The app connected with young people's love of music and performance. The 15-second videos hit the sweet spot - long enough to tell a story but short enough to keep viewers interested.


The social features made the app special. Musical.ly created unique features like "BFFs" (Best Fans Forever) that gave loyal followers extra perks. The app also featured content from teen favorites like Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez.


Musical.ly's numbers looked impressive by 2016: over 70 million downloads, 10 million daily active users, and about 10-11 million new videos each day. The social media world was crowded, but Musical.ly found its place by putting user engagement first instead of just chasing download numbers.


On top of that, the app hit the perfect age group - most users were between 13-20 years old. This age group tends to discover and share new social platforms quickly.


The acquisition: Why ByteDance bought Musically


ByteDance, the Beijing-based tech giant, reshaped social media worldwide when it bought Musical.ly in November 2017. The deal ranged between $800 million and $1 billion. This purchase ended up creating one of the world's most downloaded apps.


ByteDance's global ambitions


The company's strategy went beyond buying another social media platform. ByteDance already ran Toutiao, a powerful news aggregator with 120 million daily active users in China[103]. In spite of that, breaking into Western markets remained their biggest challenge.


Musical.ly was a great way to get instant access to roughly 60 million monthly active users in the United States and Europe. ByteDance saw this as their chance to crack markets where Chinese tech companies struggled. Their announcement highlighted how the merger would create "a significant global platform for content creators and brands to involve new markets".


CEO Zhang Yiming's vision stretched beyond China's borders. Zhang knew tech's future would cross national boundaries. His targets included the U.S., Europe, and Southeast Asia, unlike other Chinese tech companies that stayed focused on their home market.


What was TikTok called before?


ByteDance launched Douyin in China back in 2016, before buying Musical.ly. The company branded this short-video app as TikTok for international markets. Both platforms specialized in brief videos but had different user bases and features.


Douyin's success in China was remarkable. The app reached over 300 million monthly active users by 2018. TikTok gained worldwide attention and became the most downloaded iOS app during 2018's first quarter.


How the acquisition deal unfolded


ByteDance managed to keep Musical.ly running separately after the November 2017 purchase. The company announced Musical.ly's complete merger into TikTok on August 2, 2018. This move created one global platform, though Douyin stayed separate in China.


The transition included:

  • Moving all existing accounts and data to TikTok

  • Keeping some Musical.ly features like "crowns" (verification badges)

  • Making Musical.ly's co-founder Alex Zhu TikTok's Head of Product at ByteDance


The merger proved to be a soaring win. TikTok gained 30 million new users from Musical.ly within three months. ByteDance blended its sophisticated AI technology from Toutiao's personalized feeds into TikTok's recommendation system.


When did Musically change to TikTok?


ByteDance's acquisition of Musical.ly led to an exciting transformation. TikTok emerged as the new brand name on August 2, 2018. This change created a unified global platform that would revolutionize short-form video content.


The official merger date and what changed


A special event on August 1, 2018 announced the upcoming changes. The next day brought a surprise for Musical.ly users. They opened their apps to discover a completely different experience with TikTok's fresh design replacing their familiar interface.


The new app showcased a redesigned logo and a completely different user interface that blended both platforms' best elements. TikTok kept Musical.ly's successful 15-second video format but added a more advanced recommendation system. The platform had already proven its worth by becoming the most downloaded iOS app worldwide during 2018's first quarter.


How user accounts and content were migrated


The switch proved smooth for existing users. TikTok automatically moved all Musical.ly accounts, content, followers, and fan bases to the new platform. Users only needed a simple app update to start exploring TikTok.


ByteDance made sure users' digital identities stayed intact. Their follower counts and previous posts remained unchanged. This thoughtful approach helped Musical.ly's 100 million monthly active users continue their social media journey without any hiccups.


New features introduced in TikTok


TikTok brought these exciting new features to the table:

  • A "reaction" feature for direct video responses to friends

  • Better creative tools with interactive gesture filters

  • VR-type filters that respond to blinks

  • Green screen-like background effects

  • A customized "For You" feed based on viewing priorities

  • Digital wellbeing alerts after two hours of use


The platform launched creator programs that offered technical support, performance metrics, and growth strategies. A safety center also appeared, providing resources for users to have a positive experience.


Why did Musically become TikTok?


ByteDance's decision to turn Musical.ly into TikTok meant much more than a simple name change. The company executed a calculated business plan to build a global short-video giant. ByteDance wanted to dominate the digital world, and this rebranding showed their vision.


Strategic reasons behind the rebranding


ByteDance had several compelling reasons to combine the platforms rather than keep them separate:

  • Complementary geographic coverage: "Musical.ly and TikTok currently operate in complementary geographies without much overlap," explained TikTok's head of global marketing Stefan Heinrich. This move created a unified global presence.

  • Expanding creative scope: Musical.ly's content centered on lip-syncing and music videos. TikTok welcomed a broader range of short-form videos. This wider appeal attracted different age groups beyond teenagers.

  • Combined resources: A single platform helped ByteDance "expand our on-the-ground presence more quickly and easily". Marketing efforts and technical development became more simplified.


How TikTok's algorithm changed the game


ByteDance's sophisticated algorithm became the game-changer that reshaped Musical.ly's user experience. The app's usage time doubled after Musical.ly connected to ByteDance's back-end algorithm.


TikTok pioneered an interest-based approach, unlike other social networks that relied on social graphs (who you follow). Users didn't need to build follower networks first - the "For You Page" algorithm studied their behavior to deliver individual-specific content.


This breakthrough created what a ByteDance employee called "a rapid, hyper-efficient matchmaker". The app quickly built distinct subcultures, which expanded its appeal beyond Musical.ly's teenage users.


What happened to Musically's founders


Musical.ly co-founder Alex Zhu stayed with the company after the acquisition. He became Senior Vice President of TikTok at ByteDance, where he continued to shape the platform's future.


"Combining Musical.ly and TikTok is a natural fit given the shared mission of both experiences—to create a community where everyone can be a creator," Zhu said after the merger. His words showed his steadfast dedication to the platform's vision.


Conclusion


Musical.ly's transformation into TikTok showcases a brilliant acquisition and platform transformation. ByteDance merged the platforms in August 2018 and created today's short-form video giant.


The company's clear vision combined with Musical.ly's strong user base delivered the perfect recipe for global social media success. This simple lip-syncing app turned into a cultural phenomenon that reshapes entertainment worldwide.


FAQs


Q1. When did Musical.ly officially become TikTok? 

Musical.ly officially merged with TikTok on August 2, 2018, following ByteDance's acquisition of Musical.ly in November 2017.


Q2. What were the main features of Musical.ly before it became TikTok? 

Musical.ly allowed users to create 15-second to 1-minute lip-sync music videos with various speed options, filters, and effects. Users could also browse popular content, trending songs, and interact with other users.


Q3. Why did ByteDance decide to merge Musical.ly with TikTok? 

ByteDance merged the platforms to create a unified global presence, expand creative scope beyond lip-syncing, and consolidate resources for faster growth and development.


Q4. How did the transition from Musical.ly to TikTok affect existing users? 

The transition was seamless for existing users. All Musical.ly accounts, content, followers, and fan bases were automatically migrated to the new TikTok platform, preserving users' digital identities.


Q5. What new features were introduced when TikTok replaced Musical.ly? 

TikTok introduced several new features, including a "reaction" feature, enhanced creative tools, VR-type filters, green screen-like background effects, and a personalized "For You" feed with content recommendations based on viewing preferences.


 
 
 
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