Resso

A challenger music streaming service in emerging markets, positioned below Spotify and leveraging ByteDance's TikTok ecosystem before being discontinued in favor of TikTok Music.

Resso was a music streaming service developed and operated by ByteDance, the Chinese technology conglomerate behind TikTok. Launched in March 2020, Resso initially rolled out in India, Indonesia, and Brazil — three high-growth emerging markets where ByteDance saw significant opportunity to compete against established players like Spotify and Apple Music. The app distinguished itself with social and interactive features, allowing users to share lyrics, post comments tied to specific song moments, and create mood-based playlists, blending the social engagement mechanics of TikTok with traditional music streaming. Resso operated on a freemium model, offering a free ad-supported tier alongside a premium subscription. Its integration with ByteDance's broader ecosystem, particularly TikTok's viral music discovery engine, gave it a notable advantage in surfacing trending tracks and connecting music culture to short-form video. Despite gaining a meaningful user base in India and Indonesia, Resso faced stiff competition and regulatory headwinds throughout its existence. The service began winding down in 2023 as ByteDance consolidated its music strategy under the TikTok Music brand. Resso was shut down in Brazil and Indonesia in September 2023, with those markets transitioning to TikTok Music. In India, the situation was more abrupt — the Indian government ordered Resso's removal from app stores, and the service officially ceased operations there on January 31, 2024. With that, Resso was fully defunct, leaving TikTok Music as ByteDance's sole music streaming offering in select markets.