Media consist of three mediums Image, Video, and Audio. While Images and Videos have gained popularity as we can see them, Audio has often been side-lined. However, in this Pandemic atmosphere, the importance of audio has been realized and Facebook is investing hugely in certain new projects – all related to Audio technology. The following audio projects will become life and working within a few months as stated by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to journalist Casey Newton.
Highlights
- Facebook announces ‘Live Audio Rooms’ which looks similar to the Clubhouse
- Soundbites is another project by Facebook where users can create and share short audio clips.
- It has initiated Project Boombox which is an integration with the Spotify app.
- Users can listen to Podcasts from the main Facebook App.
Live Audio Rooms
Facebook has decided to venture into Audio technology by developing Live Audio Rooms which are supposed to go live in summer 2021. This feature is a Clubhouse clone that allows users to hear and participate in live audio conversations. The new module will be first tested with small groups and public figures in the beginning before it gets rolled out to everyone. This audio feature will be eventually available on Facebook Messenger.
The purpose behind Live Audio Rooms is to enable users to host live audio discussions and even provide the option to record and share these conversations. Users can even charge other members for entering the Live Audio Rooms through a subscription fee. Facebook has also announced an Audio Creator Fund to encourage and support emerging audio creators.
The feature is similar to Clubhouse which is one of the most popular audio social networks around today. Some many such apps and services provide live audio drop-in service and they all have been in demand after the pandemic situation arose across the globe.
Soundbites
Another important announcement by Facebook was the launch of Soundbites which enables the users to develop and share audio clips of a short duration. In simple words, Soundbites is Tik Tok without video and just simple audio. Soundbites will let users create/share short audio clips and will appear live from the main news feed. Users can record the Soundbites with the help of a special tool within Facebook. More or less it would be like a small sound studio on your smartphone which you can carry anywhere.
Project Boombox – Spotify
Finally, Facebook has initiated project Boombox which is an integration between Facebook and Spotify. This partnership will enable Facebook users to choose and play music within the Facebook app. Spotify, as you all know, is one of the best and most used music streaming apps across the globe.
Podcasts
Facebook is not done with Audio yet. It has also announced that users will be able to listen to podcasts straight from the FB app itself. As per the data shared by Facebook, there seem to be more than 170 million people that are linked to podcasts with at least 35 million users that are members of fan groups of podcasts.
Though all the features look promising there is one common factor between all of them and that is these new features to be inculcated by Facebook are not original. These features already exist within different apps and have been already used by millions around the world. The US Federal Trade Commission or FTC has already accused Facebook of using anti-competitive strategies by copying rival companies – something which has been admitted by Mr. Zuckerberg.
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