It happens all too often — you see a trending sound being used everywhere on TikTok and Instagram. You think of a funny way to apply it to your brand, you open TikTok to film the video, and you quickly realize that your business account doesn't have access to that audio clip.

Why does this happen, and how can you navigate it?

‍

Why Brands Can’t Use Trending Audio

It's not true 100% of the time, but in many cases, brands won't have access to trending sounds. This is because they are not commercially licensed — meaning the rights holder (usually a record label or music publisher) has not authorized the track for use in commercial content, including anything posted by a business, brand, or creator being paid to promote a product or service. Trending user-generated clips, viral sounds, and remixes are especially likely to fall into this category, since they're often built on copyrighted material that was never cleared for commercial use in the first place.

In short: personal accounts operate under a broader entertainment license that platforms negotiate with labels. Business accounts do not. The moment a platform detects commercial intent, different rules apply — and the audio you wanted? Gone.

‍

“Can I Just Switch My Brand Account to a Personal Account?” 

We don't recommend it. Beyond violating most platforms' terms of service for business use, it means losing access to analytics, ads, contact buttons, and other features your brand actually needs. The workaround isn't worth the tradeoff.

‍

“Can I Edit My Video in a Third Party App and Post It Anyways?”

Technically, you could. But the chances of your video getting muted or taken down are high — and depending on how it's flagged, repeat violations can affect your account's overall reach. It's not a strategy, it's a gamble. Here's what to do instead:

‍

1.  Search the platform's trending sounds library first. Before you assume a sound is off-limits, check. Some popular trends are built on original audio, which can sometimes be used by brands. Covers and remixes of popular songs also occasionally make their way into commercial libraries. You might be surprised by what's already available!
2. Use the commercial audio tabs. Instagram Reels has an "Original Audio" filter, and TikTok has a dedicated "Commercial Sounds" library — both surfaces exist specifically for this problem. Start there before looking anywhere else. Pro tip: You can now auto-post TikToks in Planoly using commercial sounds!
3. Adapt the trend, not the audio. This is the most underrated move. Once a format takes off, most people are watching the visual — not listening closely to what's playing in the background. Planoly has done this ourselves: we participated in The Summer I Turned Pretty trend by matching the font and layout, but swapping in a different audio since the show's theme song wasn't available for business accounts. We did the same with the Betrayal List trend — picked a generic audio, stayed on format, and it worked. The trend travels. The exact song doesn't have to.
4. Build a library of go-to commercial tracks. Rather than scrambling every time a new trend hits, keep a running list of songs from royalty-free libraries  that fit your brand's vibe. (Both Instagram and TikTok let you save a song to your library!) That way, when a trend breaks, you're matching to a sound you already know works — not starting from scratch.

‍

Trending audio is one of the fastest ways to reach new audiences, but for brands, there's a real licensing wall between what's popular and what's permitted. The good news: the gap is closeable. Between platform commercial libraries, smart trend adaptation, and a little preparation, there's almost always a path to participating — you just might need to take a slightly different route to get there.

‍