Facebook has this week announced that it's expanding its various music options, facilitated by its growing list of licensing agreements, into seven new countries across Europe, providing additional, creative ways for users to interact.
As explained by Facebook:
"We've been working with music partners around the world to help people connect and express themselves through music across the Facebook family of apps. Today, we’re announcing the launch of music on Facebook and Instagram in The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Romania and Slovakia - bringing music to products across our platform in over 30 countries across EMEA."
Over the last couple of years, Facebook has been working with major recording labels on arrangements which enable Facebook users to include song clips in their Facebook and Instagram posts without infringing copyright.
As a result, Facebook has introduced a range of new, music-focused options, including the capacity to add your favorite song to your Facebook profile (image above), music stickers for Instagram Stories and 'Lip Synch Live', which enables you to mime along to your favorite tracks on a live-stream.
More recent additions, which will now also be available to users in the above-listed regions, include lyrics in Instagram music stickers and music questions stickers, also for Instagram.
"The popular Instagram Stories questions sticker also now has music. Your friends can respond to your questions sticker with a song from the music library - and you can then share your favorites to your story. Sending music back and forth has always been a way to connect with friends, and now, if you need some ideas for your summer party playlist or your commute, you can do it through Instagram Stories. There are also new visual effects in the Music format on Stories that respond to beat and sound, so you can pick your favorite song and dance it out."
The additions provide more ways for users to interact on both Facebook and Instagram, with a particular focus on Stories, which is growing in overall usage.
And with TikTok on the rise, which is also largely focused on music, you can bet that Facebook will be looking at more ways to add new tools on this front. Reports have already indicated that Instagram is looking to add in tools which replicate TikTok's key features, and if Facebook can get ahead with new music-based options, especially in regions where TikTok hasn't yet gained traction, you can bet we'll be seeing such, likely in the near term.
