Instagram has added the ability to search for audio recordings in the search tab in the app, making it easier to use music video-based trends with an emphasis on creating videos based on them.
As you can see here, you’ll now be able to switch to a new “Audio” tab when you search on Instagram, which will show you the different tracks available for use in the app. Click on any track, and you’ll see a display of TikTok-like clips that use samples of that song.
You can save the audio for your own use, as well as get a full overview of current trends and clips for inspiration.
In other words, it’s practically a TikTok feature that replicates the Sounds tab, right down to the sample clips that use each track.
So in a broad sense, this is nothing new. But as Instagram seeks to expand the use of Reels in an effort to counter the growing competition from TikTok, it makes sense that it should keep up with usage trends and foster relevant discoveries as best it can.
Will this lead to more people creating trending videos?
Probably. It certainly plays a big role on TikTok, and with similar potential in Reels it will also help maximize usage.
Interestingly, this comes on the same day that YouTube launched a new ad campaign that advertises how to do the same thing in its own Shorts feature, similar to TikTok.
So, these tools are all the same, and they’re becoming even more similar to each other by the day. And as TikTok continues to grow in user numbers and increase its influence among a younger audience, you can be sure that both Instagram and YouTube will continue to add copy tools, trying to suppress user migration where possible and stop TikTok eating up their respective audience bases.
After all, as we saw when Facebook replaced MySpace, trends among younger users can lead to much more change. And while TikTok may not yet be about to take over the big blue app, in many ways it is clearly becoming a more important factor.
