Is Snapchat About to Enter the Music World?

There’s no doubt that Snapchat has risen to the top of the social media kingdom. It’s now common to see live videos of Snap users at concerts, performances, or even just listening to music on their own. Actors and musicians, too, have taken advantage of the platform. Music has become an integral part of the platform’s participation in people’s everyday lives, documenting their most exciting (or mundane) moments in quick 10-second bytes that disappear after 24 hours.

Snapchat’s Musical Partnership
However, even within the past few months, Snapchat’s involvement in the music industry has strengthened. In December, the company announced their integration with one of the world’s most popular apps, Shazam. This allowed users to open the camera and film their surroundings while identifying the song that’s playing in the background. Snapchat users were able to discover new music and share it with friends easily, while promoting new artists and records at the same time.

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Snapchat Previews New Songs
Snapchat has taken the relationship with the music industry one step further by creating Snap filters which feature exclusive new music, sometimes even before the songs have been released (with the artist’s permission, of course). The first lens filter that had music in the background sampled the song “Now and Later” by Sage the Gemini. This resulted in Sage the Gemini gaining over 4 million followers on Spotify. More recently, Ed Sheeran turned to Snapchat to give a brief 30-second preview of a new song; this, too, was only available for a weekend before it disappeared.

A Personal Touch
Artists and producers alike have taken to the Snapchat model, as it doesn’t breach any licensing laws and has no threat of piracy, unlike YouTube or Facebook where the content is uploaded “forever.” Furthermore, because of the personal touch of filming from an individual’s perspective (without character limits), fans can access exclusive events like the VMAs through what feels like a candid lens. Music videos and performances were uploaded directly for millions of viewers to watch instantaneously, without editing or special effects.

The Future of Snapchat
Many artists and DJs also have their own Snapchat accounts, which allows them to market themselves in an open way. As Snapchat continues to grow from their partnerships with other creative enterprises, it’s quite probable that more song previews and exclusive premieres will continue to be showcased on the app — even if only for a few hours.