- Snapchat will release a new feature that will allow users to overlay their recorded videos with popular songs, per a report from The Verge, similar to how TikTok operates.
- Users will have access to a selection of music from Warner Music Group and other music publishing companies.
- News of the feature comes as Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok amid growing US pressure for the app to distance itself from its Chinese ties — its parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.
- Social media rival Instagram is also rolling out its own TikTok competitor, dubbed Instagram Reels, in early August.
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Snapchat is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to play music over the videos they record.
The feature is notably akin to TikTok, which has gained massive popularity and millions of US users on its short video sharing platform, as The Verge reported. Snapchat users will be able to choose from a selection of popular songs from Warner Music Group and other similar corporations. The feature will also allow viewers to swipe up on the video for details on the song and its artist, as well as a link that will take you to a streaming platform to listen to that particular song.
The new feature will be available to users in Australia and New Zealand starting today, per The Verge, with a broader swath of English-language users having access to it later this fall.
In an emailed statement to Business Insider, a Snap spokesperson said: "We're constantly building on our relationships within the music industry, and making sure the entire music ecosystem (artists, labels, songwriters, publishers and streaming services) are seeing value in our partnerships."
The Snapchat news comes as the US under President Trump is pushing back against TikTok over its ties to China. Lawmakers say the Beijing-based parent company ByteDance's ownership of the app poses national security risks, and the app's collection of data from American users could be accessible to the Chinese government. ByteDance has been urged to divest its TikTok US business, and now Microsoft is discussing a potential acquisition of the app.
Instagram, has also announced it will reveal its own TikTok competitor in early August.
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