Facebook’s “Sound Collection”

Facebook announced last week that it is arming content creators with a free music library of background music and sound effects.

Highlighting over 1,000 tracks and 1,500 sound effects, the collection is made up of copyright and royalty-free music that can be used in the production of videos – which Facebook owns for uploads on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Industry analysts and tech pundits were quick to liken the move with that of YouTube’s, which also offers a huge selection of royalty and copyright free music for content creators.

It’s also been presumed that the move is part of Facebook’s intention to draw more content creators to post more original videos within the network – a move that treads in congruence with the recent launch of Facebook’s “Watch” video-oriented app-and-service suite.

Overall, the rollout of “Sound Collection” has been well-received. Though it hasn’t exactly been viewed by those who’ve come across it as a major game changer, it certainly is a step towards inviting YouTube creators to diversify their channels to include videos on Facebook.

More information on “Sound Collection” can be accessed by logging in to Facebook, then key in www.facebook.com/sound/collection.

YouTube to rollout music streaming service by 2018?

Reports that YouTube is rolling out a new music streaming service by March next year have recently cropped up. The service is purported to compete with Apple Music and Spotify.

Referred to as “Remix,” the service is said to highlight a video library alongside music selections, a feature that affords subscribers with the option to view companion music videos that go with certain tracks.

As Google (the holding firm of YouTube) already has a streaming service and music store in the circa-2011 Google Play Music, the rumors revolving around “Remix” got tech pundits wondering what Google plans to do with Google Play Music should it actually see to the launch of “Remix.”

Generally, though, the rumors revolving around “Remix” have been well-received, with most netizens hoping that its subscription rates would be within reasonable margins.

Standalone “Direct” app for Instagram on testing phase

Representatives of Facebook’s Instragram revealed last week that the image-anchored micro-blogging platform has been testing a standalone application for its “Direct” instant messaging feature in select countries.

Essentially, the “Direct” app is positioned to be a dedicated messaging suite for Instagram account owners – an expansion of Instagram’s “Direct” messaging feature that’s fast, visuals-oriented and fun to use.

Currently being tested in Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Uruguay, initial reviews of the app have been mixed.

A number of users have cited certain “Direct” similarities with popular messaging app Snapchat – some going as far as describing it as another Snapchat clone.

Many have also raised concerns pertaining to functionality and slow internet connections, given that the app is highly visuals-oriented (which means that it requires more stable and fast access to online data to properly function).

It’s been presumed that “Direct’s” functionality over slow internet connections is part of its testing phase. Instagram has not yet issued a statement when “Direct” will be publicly available worldwide.