INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The right music can make a boring photo or video epic, so Instagram is equipping users with a way to add popular songs to their Stories
TechCrunch had the scoop on the music feature prototype in early May, and now it launching to iOS and Android users in 6countries including,
Thanks to Facebook recent deals with record labels, users will be able to choose from thousands of songs from artists includingBruno Mars,
Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and Guns N& Roses
The launch could make Instagram Stories more fun to post and watch in a way that copyrights won&t allow on Snapchat, while giving the app a
way to compete with tween favorite Musical.ly.
And just a week after revealing its app has 1 billion monthly users, the company also
announced today that Instagram Stories has 400 million daily users, up from 300 million in November and 250 million a year ago
That means Instagram Stories is growing about six times faster than Snapchat whole app, which only added 13 million daily users over the six
months of Q4 2017 and Q1 2018 to reach 191 million.
Snapchat growth rate fell to its slowest pace ever last quarter amidst a despised
redesign, while Instagram Stories has steadily added unique and popular features like Highlights, Superzoom and resharing of public feed
Instagram said last September that it had 500 million total daily users, so it likely that a majority of community is now hooked on the
Stories format Snapchat invented.
Instagram Stories music
&Now you can add a soundtrack to your story that fits any moment and helps you
express how you&re feeling,& Instagram writes
To access the new music feature, users will be able to choose a special song sticker after they shoot a photo or video
They can search for a specific song or artist, or browse by mood, genre or what popular
Once they select a song, they can pick the specific snippet they want to have accompany their content
Alternatively, iOS users can switch to the Music shutter mode in the Stories camera to pick a song before they capture a photo or video so
they can sync up their actions to the music
That will come to Android eventually, and the whole feature will roll out to more countries soon following today launch inAustralia, New
Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the U.S
[Correction: The feature is launch in version 51 of Instagram, not in 51 countries.]
When friends watch a music-equipped Story, the song
They&ll also be able to tap on the sticker to see artist and song title info, but for now these stickers won&t link out to a musician
Instagram page or their presence on streaming services — though that would certainly be helpful
I also suggest that Instagram should create deeplinks that artists can share with their fans that automatically opens the Stories camera
with that song sticker added.
It easy to imagine users lip syncing to their favorite jams, adding clashing background music for comedic
effect or earnestly trying to compose something emotionally powerful
Suddenly people ‘Gramming from home will be a new way to entertain themselves and their pals.
Instagram tells me that musicians and
rights holders will be compensated for the use of their songs, but wouldn&t specify how those payments would work
Facebook secured deals with all the major record labels and many independents to pave the way for this feature
Facebook has since announced that users can also add copyrighted music soundtracks to videos on their own before uploading and they wouldn&t
be taken down like before
It also started testing a Lip Sync Live feature with a collection of chart-topping hits.
The big question will be whether the &thousands& of
songs available through today launch will cover what most users want to hear, otherwise they might just be disappointed
With a few enhancements and a widened catalog, Instagram Music could become a powerful way for artists to go viral
All those shaky phone camera clips are going to start looking more like indie music videos you&ll watch til the end.
