Competing with the likes of Instagram, photo-messaging app Snapchat is planning to let users add music to their posts on the platform. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is trying to secure broad rights to catalogues from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, CNET reported on Friday. No deals have been confirmed as of now, but the company has ramped up its efforts.
Other apps like Instagram and TikTok already let users add music to their content. Facebook also struck deals with major music companies in 2017 and 2018 allowing users to upload and share videos featuring songs from those labels. Snapchat has not officially commented on the subject. If the company does manage to pull off the deal, Snapchat will add a key new feature that may help it engage more users, and revamp user interest on the platform.
Snapchat's claim to fame was in presenting a social medium for the hyper-active young users by introducing disappearing stories as a way to share what's happening at the moment. The feature of disappearing stories, which can only be accessed for a few hours before it vanishes, has been largely copied by Facebook into its own platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, hence taking away much of the novel appeal that Snapchat had going for it.
However, being able to add original tracks to stories may be something that raises user interest, since it would provide a new way for users to express their feelings. It remains to be seen if the deals go through, and is released on the platform as a feature any time soon. Agreeing to licensed music deals is a tricky affair, which tech giants have often experienced, and with no confirmed report of deals already sealed, we do not expect to see the feature in the immediate future.
(With inputs from IANS)
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