Instagram Adds Spotify Song Sharing — Another TikTok-Style Flex?

Instagram has added the ability to share the music you are listening to on Spotify with your friends. The tracks and songs you play on Spotify are immediately updated on Instagram through Notes, which let you share temporary updates through text and music.

According to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, the new update is part of the company’s ‘Anyway’ campaign, allowing creators to share their music tastes with followers without pushing them to their feeds. The Spotify music updates stay on top of DMs, so every time you go to the DM section, you can see what people you are following are listening to on Spotify.

Unlike the existing music-sharing functionality of Instagram Notes, the new feature shows the current song playing on Spotify. Both the track and its artist are displayed in Notes, so you get an idea of the music that people you follow like. Instagram will also let you add that song to your playlist using a new “Add to Spotify” button above the track progress bar, which crops up when you tap a music note.

Other than the new Spotify song-sharing feature, Mosseri also announced features that will turn the app into “a place where you can overcome self-doubt, and just make it, share it, do it anyway.” That is a big leap from where Instagram started, but the move is similar to that of TikTok. The Chinese short-form video app has evolved into a video-centric social network, amassing a huge user base in important markets like the US. Instagram’s strategy to relentlessly copy every TikTok feature has worked for the Meta-owned app, especially in markets like India, where TikTok is banned.

According to Mosseri, new features such as trail reels will encourage users to post more without hesitation. “We’ve heard from creators that this takes the guesswork out of how content will perform, and our hope is that trial reels will give everyone greater freedom to explore their creativity in a low-pressure way,” said Mosseri in a note.

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