Just when you thought your Instagram Stories couldn't get any more interesting, Instagram has added music to the mix. That's right, folks, you can now add a soundtrack to your Instagram Stories, and choose from thousands of well-known songs.
Instagram Stories are rather popular, with Instagram claiming 400 million daily users. In order to maintain this impressive level of growth, Instagram keeps adding new elements to Stories. And its latest addition is licensed music from various labels.
How to Add Music to Instagram Stories
On the Instagram Blog, Instagram states you can "add a soundtrack to your story that fits any moment and helps you express how you’re feeling". You can choose from "a library of thousands of songs" thanks to deals Facebook has secured with the major record labels.
To add a song to a photo or video in Stories, just tap on it to add a sticker. You'll now see a Music icon, which you can tap on to see your options. You can search for a specific song, browse by genre or mood, or simply choose from the list of what's popular.
Whichever song you choose, you can preview it, and then skip through to find the exact section you want to include. Then, when your friends watch your story, they'll hear the song playing in the background, and see a sticker displaying the artist and song title.
You can also choose a song before capturing a video. Just open the camera, find the Music option under the record button, choose your song, and find the section you want to use. Then you can just record your video as the song plays in the background.
Most Instagram Users Love Music
The music sticker is available in Instagram v51 on Android and on iOS, but only in select countries for the time being. The option to choose a song before shooting a video is only available on iOS for now, with Android getting it later.
Allowing Instagram users to add a soundtrack to their Stories is an inspired move. The kinds of people who use Instagram are, after all, likely to be into their music, and want to share their (probably) terrible tastes with their family, friends, and followers.
Instagram has been busy recently, launching IGTV as a rival to YouTube. But if you're not interested in that, and are all about Instagram Stories, here are some tips to make your Instagram Stories stand out, and some apps to make your Stories even more awesome.