We all know that music and visuals go hand in hand, and that sometimes, sounds can help tell a story more effectively than images or words. Snapchat have utilized this realization by launching Sounds on Snap, allowing users to add music to their Snaps. This rivals other viral audiovisual platforms such as TikTok – but is it as effective? Let’s take a look at what Sounds on Snap is, how to use it, and how it holds up in comparison to similar apps. Let’s get going!
What Are Sounds On Snap?
As mentioned above, Sounds on Snap was launched on Snapchat in October 2020. To mark the launch and gather interest, Snapchat offered Justin Bieber’s ‘Lonely’ in its featured songs list 24 hours before the track’s official release date. So, what exactly is Snap Sounds?
Snapchat Sounds is a new music-powered feature that allows users to set their Snaps to music, adding tracks from a curated catalog of music. Snapchat’s music catalog offers millions of tracks thanks to its music industry partners. Snapchat formed several multi-year agreements with major labels and independent publishers. These include Warner Music Group, Merlin, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Kobalt, BMG Music Publishing and the NMPA.
How Do Sounds On Snap Work?
Sounds allow you to add music or recorded sounds to your Snaps in the following ways. You can choose a song before creating your Snap, or add it later on the Preview screen. Here’s our step by step guide to adding and creating sounds for your Snaps:
Adding a track to your Snap:
- Open the Camera screen
- Tap the ‘Sounds’ icon
- Choose a track from the Featured Sounds list, and tap to preview it
- Select where you want the song to start
Creating a sound for your Snap:
- Open the camera screen
- Tap the ‘Sounds’ icon
- Press ‘Create Sound’
- Tap the microphone button and record for up to 60 seconds. Press again to stop recording.
- Name your sound
- Choose if you want to make the sound public for others to use
- Trim the audio
- Press ‘Save Sound’
Receiving Snaps With Sounds
When a user receives a Snap with Sounds, they can swipe up to look at the album art, song title and artist. Users can also click ‘Play This Song’ to listen on their preferred streaming platform (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and so on).
Sharing Snaps
Good news – there are no limitations on where the music on Snap Sounds can be shared. The clip can be shared to your Snapchat story or sent directly to your friends!
Final Thoughts
Following the trend of viral sensation app TikTok, Snap Sounds allows users to get creative with their snaps and tell stories with music.
In terms of Snap Sounds vs TikTok, there are some differences. The ability to stream songs directly from the sounds is a feature that is individual for Snap Sounds. On TikTok, tapping on a sound takes you to an in-app page that shows other videos using the same music clip. It is rare on TikTok to be able to play/use the entire song, also.
It will be interesting to see if Snapchat roll out any other features to rival TikTok, such as video editing options, music sync and so on. Stay tuned!
How Audiosocket Can Help
The power of combining music and visuals isn’t to be underestimated, as many content creators, vloggers and videographers know. If you’re a creator looking for music to elevate your project, check out Audiosocket. With our library of over 80,000 tracks, you’ll be sure to find the perfect soundtrack to your next masterpiece. Sign up now!
If you liked this article, you should check out our articles on Instagram’s new features in 2020 & 2021, All About Clubhouse and 2021 music industry trends!
