Instagram Introduces New Feature Allowing Users to Add Music to Photo Carousels

Instagram has unveiled a new feature that blends the worlds of visual and auditory content, raising questions about the definition of a traditional photograph. The social media giant announced today that users will now be able to incorporate music tracks into their photo carousels, a decision aimed at showcasing users' musical preferences.

Teaming up with pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, Instagram demonstrated the functionality by sharing a photo carousel accompanied by her latest single, "bad idea right?" Building on its prior exploration into incorporating music, Instagram introduced another feature. This follows the platform's initial experimentation in June, which allowed users to share excerpts of the songs they were listening to through Instagram Notes.

This innovative feature follows the platform's earlier foray into music integration, seen in June when it introduced a way for users to share snippets of the songs, they were listening to through Instagram Notes.

Additionally, Instagram is rolling out a collaborative feature to foster more engagement among its user base. Now, individuals can invite up to three friends to collaborate on a post or Reel. This collaborative content will be exposed to the combined audiences of all contributors, expanding the reach and impact of these joint efforts. The "Collabs" feature, initially launched in 2021 after a limited global trial, is expanding to facilitate broader collaboration.

The "Add Yours" sticker feature, first introduced in 2021, has also undergone enhancements. It now prompts users to participate in challenges or align with specific hashtags. This update enables creators to spotlight Reels created by their fans. The selected Reels will bear a distinctive "Creator pick" tag and can be viewed by tapping on the creator's "Add Yours" sticker. Furthermore, a message on the "Add Yours" page encourages users to craft Reels based on provided prompts for a chance to be featured.

Creators can now select up to 10 Reels related to a given sticker. Those whose content is chosen by creators will receive notifications of their selection. This strategic move is part of Meta's ongoing efforts to boost engagement with Reels. The feature has gained substantial traction, boasting 200 billion daily plays and surpassing a revenue run rate of $10 billion, as noted by Mark Zuckerberg during the company's Q2 2023 earnings call.

Despite its historical reputation as a photo-sharing app, Instagram has been steadily diversifying its offerings. The recent integration of music with photos exemplifies the company's ongoing experimentation with multimedia formats, challenging conventional definitions of visual and auditory media. This bold step marks another chapter in Instagram's evolution beyond its initial image and presents users with a unique amalgamation of visual and sonic artistry.