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Snapchat testing TikTok-style music feature to release later this year

Snapchat is teaming up with top music companies to let users add songs to videos, according to a report.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
Credentials
  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Shelby Brown
2 min read
snapmusic

Snapchat's new feature will make the app more musical. 

Snapchat

Snapchat app users will soon be able to add songs to their videos. Snap, parent company of Snapchat , has reportedly inked music rights deals with several major music companies, including Warner Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group and Merlin.

Snap will test the new feature in New Zealand and Australia starting Monday, according to an earlier report from Bloomberg, with a wider release scheduled for later this year. 

The feature will let your friends send you Snaps with music. You'll be able to view the album art, song title and name of the artist. In addition, a link to play the song will open a web view to Linkfire so you can listen to the full song on your favorite music streaming platform like Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud, according to a release from Snapchat. 

When your friend sends you a Snap with music, swipe up to view the album art, song title and name of the artist. A "Play This Song" link will open a web view to Linkfire so you can listen to the full song on your favorite streaming platform (like Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud). Snapchat is designed to be a communication tool for close friends, and there is tremendous value in friend-to-friend music recommendations. Snapchatters will be able to form an even deeper connection to the artists and songs they love, both on and off platform.  

"We're always looking for new ways to give Snapchatters creative tools to express themselves. Music is a new dimension they can add to their Snaps, that helps capture feelings and moments they want to share with their real friends," a Snapchat spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Monday.

Snapchat's new feature might be the company's attempt to take on the quirky video app TikTok, which has been making headlines as the Trump administration eyes a ban.

See also: 7 things about how Snapchat's Snap Map feature tracks you

Watch this: Why the US might try to ban TikTok