Snapchat already partners with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group
Snapchat is adding audio from Sony Music Entertainment to its Sounds library, according to a report by Variety. This means that Snap has now inked deals with all three major music labels: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Aside from the Big Three, the platform also partners with Warner Chappell, BMG, Kobalt, and more.
The platform has seen 521 million videos created with Sounds since the feature’s launch
Snapchat will also start rolling out Sound Lenses, as noted in a press release on the Snap newsroom, featuring pre-selected songs and visual effects that make the subject look like they’re singing. It plans on adding Cameo Sound Lenses as well, which lets two users appear together in an animated music video. Snap says you can identify music-embedded Lenses by looking for the music note on their Lens icons.
Snap’s deal with three of the biggest music publishers puts the platform on par with TikTok, which already signed pacts with Universal, Sony, and Warner. Earlier this month, Snap signed a deal with NBCUniversal, adding audio from popular shows and movies, like The Office, SNL, Shrek, Bridesmaids, and more to its Sounds library. Snapchat launched sounds last October, throwing its TikTok-like short-form video feature, Spotlight, into the mix shortly thereafter. According to Snap, the platform has seen 1.2 billion videos created with Sounds, resulting in 77 billion views since Snap first introduced the feature.
Update, 12 PM ET: Updated Sound usage statistics with numbers current to November 2021.
