Instagram Now Lets Users Add Soundtracks to Stories in Select Countries

As pointed out by TechCrunch, Instagram is today rolling out the ability to add soundtracks to Stories for iOS and Android users in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the U.S. While Canada has initially been left out, it shouldn’t be long before Instagram announces a wider rollout of the new feature.

“Now you can add a soundtrack to your story that fits any moment and helps you express how you’re feeling,” notes Instagram. Users can choose from thousands of songs from artists including Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and Guns N’ Roses, thanks to Facebook’s recent deals with a bunch of record labels. 

In order to access the new feature, you need to choose a special song sticker after shooting a photo or video. Once you search and select the song, Once you’ve selected a song, simply pick the specific snippet you want to add to your content. 

iOS users also have the ability to switch to the Music shutter mode in the Stories camera to pick a song before capturing a photo or video to sync up the action to the music.

“When friends watch a music-equipped Story, the song will post automatically. 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’s Instagram page or their presence on streaming services — though that would certainly be helpful.

It’s 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.”

With a more widened catalog, Instagram Music could become a powerful way for artists to go viral.