Creators Are Selling Their TikTok Audio Memes as Licensed Sound Kits

Lucas: So there's this creator I've been following, handle is soundbysarah, she makes original audio memes on TikTok — catchphrases, little sound effects, short musical hooks. Last quarter she earned just over fifty-three thousand dollars from licensing those sounds to brands and other creators. Luna: Fifty-three thousand? Just from people using her audio? Lucas: Just from licensing. She packages her most viral sounds into what she calls 'sound kits' — a bundle of ten to twenty audio files, priced between seventy-five and two hundred fifty dollars per kit. Brands buy them for ad campaigns, creators buy them to stitch into their own videos. And she keeps the copyright, so every time someone uses a sound, she gets a royalty. Luna: So it's like a stock audio library, but built entirely from TikTok memes. Lucas: Exactly. And she's not the only one. There's a whole niche of creators now who treat their audio memes as products. Another guy, mikeymeme, he's sold over four hundred kits in the last year. His big hit is this two-second bass drop that went viral in dance videos — he's licensed it to a sportswear brand for a campaign, and it's been used in over thirty thousand user-generated videos. Luna: Thirty thousand uses — that must add up. How does the royalty math work? Lucas: Depends on the licensing tier. Most creators offer a basic license for around fifty dollars — that covers one-time use in a single video, no commercial use. A premium license, which allows a brand to use the sound in paid ads, runs anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars. And then there's an enterprise tier for multi-platform campaigns, which can go up to ten thousand. Luna: So the real money is in the premium and enterprise tiers, not the fifty-dollar basic ones. Lucas: Right. The basic licenses are volume — they get the sound out there, build virality. But the premium licenses are where the revenue lives. Soundbysarah told me her average premium license sells for about twelve hundred dollars, and she does roughly fifteen to twenty of those a quarter. Luna: That's eighteen to twenty-four thousand from premium alone. Plus the basics and enterprise deals. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the clever part — she doesn't just sell the sound in isolation. Each kit comes with a PDF that explains the meme's origin, the best use cases, and example video scripts. It helps buyers understand the context, which makes them more likely to use it effectively and not just get the audio wrong. Luna: So she's essentially selling a mini creative brief along with the sound. Lucas: Yeah. And that reduces the risk for the buyer. A brand manager doesn't want to spend a thousand dollars on a sound and then have their agency use it in a way that feels forced. By providing the context, she's increasing the perceived value and the likelihood of repeat purchases. Luna: What about legal issues? TikTok's terms of service have gotten stricter about audio ownership. Lucas: That's the tricky part. TikTok's terms say that when you upload original audio, you grant TikTok a broad license to use it. But creators retain copyright — they can still license it outside the platform. The key is that the audio must be truly original. If a creator samples someone else's sound or uses a copyrighted beat, they can't license it. Soundbysarah records all her audio herself — vocal lines, sound effects, original compositions. Luna: So the due diligence is on the creator to prove ownership. Lucas: Right. And some creators are registering their audio with the U.S. Copyright Office before they even post it. It costs about fifty dollars per registration, but it gives them a stronger legal standing if someone uses the sound without a license. Luna: Interesting. So the upfront cost is low, but the payoff can be substantial. How many creators are actually doing this at scale? Lucas: It's still a small niche. I'd estimate maybe two to three hundred creators globally who are actively selling sound kits. Most are in the U.S., but there's a growing number in Brazil, Indonesia, and the U.K. The total market is probably under ten million dollars annually, but it's growing fast — especially as brands look for authentic audio that already has cultural resonance. Luna: It makes sense. A brand could commission a composer to make a generic jingle, or they could license a sound that millions of people already associate with a specific vibe or emotion. Lucas: Exactly. And that existing emotional shortcut is worth a lot. One creator I talked to, his sound is a three-second 'yeah' with a rising pitch — it's used in reaction videos. He licensed it to a snack brand for a Super Bowl ad. The brand paid eight thousand dollars for a six-month enterprise license. Luna: Eight thousand for a three-second 'yeah'. Lucas: And the brand got a sound that already had over fifty million views on TikTok. They didn't have to build awareness from scratch. Luna: That's the value proposition. Now, how do creators actually distribute these kits? Are they using a platform or just selling through DMs? Lucas: Most use a combination. Some sell directly through their own websites using a tool like Gumroad or Payhip. Others use marketplaces like AudioJungle or even Etsy. And a few have built custom storefronts on platforms like Stan or Linktree with embedded payment links. Luna: So it's relatively low-tech. No need for a custom app or anything. Lucas: Not at all. The barrier to entry is really just the audio creation and the legal setup. And because the audio is already popular on TikTok, there's built-in demand. The challenge is standing out — there are now so many creators making sound kits that the market is getting crowded. Luna: What's the differentiation strategy then? Is it about niche? Style? Personality? Lucas: Mostly niche. The creators who succeed tend to own a specific audio territory. For example, one creator focuses exclusively on retro video game-style sound effects — eight-bit jump sounds, coin collects, level-up jingles. Another does only asmr style vocal triggers — whispers, tongue clicks, finger snaps. Brands come to them for that specific aesthetic. Luna: So it's almost like a premium audio branding agency, but run by one person. Lucas: Exactly. And some are even offering custom sound design as a service. A brand can commission a unique sound kit tailored to their campaign. That's where the really high fees come in — I've seen custom kits go for fifteen to twenty-five thousand dollars. Luna: That's serious money. But it also requires a lot of trust. The brand is betting that the creator's audio instincts will translate to their campaign. Lucas: Right. And that's why the best creators share case studies and performance metrics. They'll say, 'This sound was used in a campaign that generated two million views and a four percent engagement rate.' That kind of data makes the investment feel safer. Luna: It's basically selling proof of performance. Lucas: Yeah. And it works. I think we're going to see more formalized licensing platforms emerge, maybe even a dedicated marketplace for TikTok-originated audio. Because right now it's still a bit of a Wild West — no standardized contracts, no escrow, no dispute resolution. A platform could streamline that and take a cut. Luna: If these conversations have sparked an idea you've actually used — maybe you tried licensing your own audio or bought a sound kit — there's a way to keep the show going without ads. Lucas: Yeah. A small group of listeners already chips in monthly at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's what keeps this thing ad-free and independent. No pressure — just mentioning it because it matters. Luna: And it means we can keep digging into these creator economy niches without having to sell you anything. Lucas: Exactly. So back to the sound kit market — the other trend I'm watching is creators bundling their audio with video templates. So you buy a sound kit and get a set of video transitions or text overlays that match the audio's vibe. That ups the value considerably. Luna: So it's a full creative package. Sound plus visuals, all pre-matched. Lucas: Yeah. One creator sells a 'dark academia' kit — it includes ambient piano loops, book-page rustling sounds, and video overlays with vintage film grain. Priced at a hundred ninety-nine dollars. She's sold over six hundred of them. Luna: So nearly a hundred twenty thousand dollars from one product line. Lucas: Right. And that's just the start. I think as TikTok's audio library gets more saturated, the value will shift from the sound itself to the curation and the brand around it. The creators who build a trusted audio brand — like 'if you want a cozy vlog sound, go to this creator' — will own the premium end. Luna: So it's not just about making a funny sound. It's about building a sound identity that people recognize and trust. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a much harder moat to replicate.