Home » Misc » How to use the music feature on instagram

How to use the music feature on instagram


How To Add Music To An Instagram Story

Copied link!

Daniel Horowitz

|

January 19, 2022

When Instagram added the Stories feature in 2016, it was designed as a way to compete with Snapchat, which was absolutely exploding in popularity at the time. Like Snapchat, Stories provides users with a way to make a limited-time (24-hour) post for other users to view before it disappears forever. And when it launched, Instagram users flocked to the feature and it quickly became one of the biggest features on the platform.

Since then, Instagram has added many additional features, including the ability to add songs to your Instagram stories.

This allows people to make their content more engaging to appeal to their followers and help them to gain new ones.

Here's how you can utilize the Instagram music feature and add all of your favorite tracks to your next Instagram Story.

Best ways to put music on your Instagram Story

There are several ways to add music to your Instagram Story, and they all give you different options for music choices. You can include certain songs from Instagram itself as well as popular music services such as the Spotify app, Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Shazam.

All Instagram stories last up to 15 seconds per individual Story, so it's important to find a track – or section of a track – that fits into that time window. Let’s take a look at the options you can use to find a song that fits your Story.

Add music from Instagram

Adding music from Instagram itself is the most straightforward option. Here’s how to do it:

  • Open the Instagram app and click on the plus icon at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the "add to Story" screen where you can create your Instagram Story.
  • Once you create your Story (video, photo, GIF, etc.), you can select from Instagram's music library.
  • To add a track to your Story, click on the Sticker button and then tap on the Music sticker.

This will open up the Instagram music library, where you can then browse through thousands of songs. Keep in mind that not all songs are available in every country due to copyright restrictions. Business accounts are also more limited in song selection.

When you begin to browse, you'll see a "for you" section. This is determined by Instagram's algorithm and the accounts you follow, who you interact with, and your own posting history.

If you want to explore beyond these tunes, you can tap on the browse button at the top of the screen. This will allow you to search through Instagram's music catalog. You can also manually type in the name of a song or artist if you are looking for something specific.

When selecting songs, you have the option to use a segment of the song that lasts from 5 to 15 seconds. You’ll pick the length using a slider within the app. Then, click on the "Done" button and you have successfully added the selected song to your Instagram Story.

Add music from Spotify

If you can't find what you're looking for on Instagram, the next best place to search is Spotify. Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming apps, and chances are it has exactly what you need. To integrate it with Instagram, you need a Spotify Premium account, which costs $9.99 per month for individual plans.

To add a track from Spotify, follow these steps:

  • Open the Spotify app
  • Click on the song that you want to add
  • Click on the ellipses in the top right corner of the screen
  • Scroll down and click share in the menu
  • Select Instagram stories

Spotify will then automatically open the Instagram app for you. It will update your Story with the selected track and also add the cover art of the song or album.

When you use this method, the song will not play directly on Instagram. After you post your Story, the app will create a link in the top left corner that says "Play on Spotify." Your followers must click on the picture of the album or song so they can open Spotify to listen to the audio.

Add music from SoundCloud

SoundCloud is primarily used by up-and-coming artists, and Instagram stories is a great place to showcase this type of music. That’s particularly true if you’re into music production or songwriting and looking for a way to share your own tunes.

You can post SoundCloud songs on Instagram stories by following these steps:

  • Open the SoundCloud app
  • Select the song you want to share
  • Click on the share icon and select "Share to Instagram stories."

This will then open up the Instagram app, which will automatically add the album or song artwork as the image for your Story. You can also add a sticker with the SoundCloud logo and song title on it. This allows users to click through to your desired SoundCloud page to listen to the song. You can also add hashtags, GIFs, and text to the image to help other users discover it.

Add music from Apple Music

Sharing music from Apple Music to your Instagram Story is a great way to share your favorite songs with your friends and followers. Like other third-party integrations with Instagram Stories, you can’t share the music’s actual audio directly in the Instagram app. The good news here, though, is that Apple Music has more than 90 million songs, so you shouldn’t have any issue finding the song you want to share.

The process is simple:

  • Open the Apple Music app and click on the ellipses in the top right corner.
  • You now have the option to "Share."
  • Once you select “Share,” scroll down through the various apps and select Instagram.

This will import the album or song artwork with a link in the top left corner of your Instagram Story to "Play on Apple Music." If users click on the link, it will open the Apple Music app where they can listen to the track.

Add music from Shazam

Have you ever heard a song in public, on a television show, or at a party and you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it is? There’s an app for that, and it’s called Shazam. The app has actually been around for more than 20 years, but it’s grown a lot since Apple bought it in 2017. It’s now native to all iPhones and is even integrated with Siri.

Shazam’s prevalence makes it easier than ever to use the app and identify a song playing in a grocery store. And if you ever felt the need to share your discovery with your Instagram followers, you can do it directly within the Shazam app.

Once you discover a song, here’s what you need to do:

  • Tap on the ellipses in the top right corner of the Shazam app.
  • Click on "Share" and then "Instagram stories" to open Instagram.
  • This will import the album or song artwork and add a "More on Shazam" link in your Instagram Story.

This is a great way to show your friends how you discovered or rediscovered a new song. You can also add text and other stickers to explain how you found this song and where you were when it happened.

Putting song lyrics on your Instagram Story

When you add a track to your Instagram, you can add more than just the audio or artwork. You can add the lyrics, too. The lyrics will fit exactly with the section of the song you choose to highlight in your Story, and you can add them over either a photo or video.

To add lyrics to your Story, use the following steps:

  • Open the Instagram app.
  • Click on the plus sign on your profile pic in the top left corner of the screen to open your Story.
  • Add the photo or video you want to feature.
  • Select the "Music Sticker" to add music directly from Instagram.
  • Search for the song you want to add to your Story.
  • Once you select the song, tap on the album artwork that appears.

You now have the option to add lyrics in several different font types. You can also alter the size of the lyrics and where they appear in the Story. Keep in mind that not all music in the Instagram music catalog allows you to add lyrics.

Summary

Sharing music with your friends and followers on social media is one of the greatest ways to connect with people. And with Instagram Stories, you can broadcast your new favorite tracks while discovering new music through people you follow on Instagram. You can also click through music-related hashtags, which is just another way to find the best new tunes to add to your playlist.

About the Author: Daniel Horowitz is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Daniel is a New York-based author and has written for publications such as USA Today, Digital Trends, Unwinnable Magazine, and many other media outlets.

Disclosure: Our site may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.

How To Add Music to Your Instagram Stories: Step-by-step Guide

With the Instagram music sticker, you can add music and lyrics to your Instagram Stories — creating a fun soundtrack for your community.

However, the Instagram Stories music sticker has proved to be quite elusive — with many users having a limited music library or no access at all.

In this blog post, we’re sharing how to add music in your Instagram Stories, and why some accounts don’t have access:

How to Add Music in Instagram Stories

Ready to add a soundtrack to your Instagram Stories? Follow the steps below and you’ll be posting stories with your favorite beat in no time.

First, download the latest version of the Instagram app on iOS or Android. Next, open the Instagram Stories camera and take or upload a photo or video.

Once that’s done, tap the stickers button at the top of the screen and choose the music sticker.

This will open the Instagram music library where you’ll find thousands of songs to choose from.

You can scroll through a “For You” tab of suggested songs, browse by categories, or search for a specific song.

Instagram’s music library is filled with popular songs and artists like Beyoncé, Guns N’ Roses, and Ariana Grande — all thanks to Facebook’s partnership with record labels.

NOTE: If you have a business account, you may only have a limited selection of music due to Instagram’s licensing agreements.

When you’re happy with your song choice, you can fast-forward and rewind through the track to choose the exact part that fits your story.

You can also choose how long you want the music clip to play for (the maximum is 15 seconds).

If lyrics are available for the song you select, they should pop up on your screen.

You can then choose different fonts and designs for them, and edit which part of the song you want to play.

When someone watches your story, they can tap the lyrics to learn more about the artist or listen to the song.

Finally, you can customize what the sticker looks by tapping it before publishing:

Now you’re ready to post to Instagram Stories. As usual, you can add GIFs, polls, or even hashtags.

Then tap the “Your Story” button at the bottom of your screen, and you’re all set.

Want to manage your Instagram feed like a pro? Easily plan, organize, and schedule your content with Later's Instagram Scheduler.

Why Can’t I Add Music to My Instagram Stories?

When the music sticker was first introduced, it was only available in “select countries”, including Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the US.

The feature has since been rolled out even further, with Canada being added to the list in 2020.

If you’re not in one of the countries with access to the music sticker, unfortunately, there’s not much you can do other than sit tight right now.

If you live in a country where the feature is available but doesn’t appear to be working as you’d expect, it may be due to one of these reasons:

  • You need to update your app. Instagram frequently rolls out new updates, so you may be simply using an older version!

  • You’re using a business account. Due to licensing restrictions, business accounts may have a selection of royalty-free songs instead of more popular options. You could switch to an Instagram creator profile instead.  

  • You’re sharing a branded content ad. Instagram’s rules state that branded content ads should avoid GIFs, emojis, music, and more than one sticker.

It’s unknown when other countries will have access to the music sticker, and if Instagram’s licensing restrictions will change for business accounts, but we’ll keep you updated.

Are you looking to gain new followers and boost your reach? Checkout our instagram social listening tool today!

Music in Stories, short videos and replies with songs: Instagram will launch new features in Russia

  • Technology

Instagram has announced the launch of new features in Russia. Users will have access to a TikTok-like Reels video service and a music sticker in Stories. With it, you can add music to your stories and answer questions with songs. Russian Facebook users will be able to pin it in the profile header so that it plays when the page is opened

Starting June 23, Russian Instagram users will begin accessing Reels, a platform for short videos, the company said.

Finished reading here

With Reels, you can shoot and edit videos up to 30 seconds long, apply AR effects to them, and use the green screen effect to change the background. In Reels, you can add music from the app's library or choose from trends or recommendations. Users will also be able to create their own original audio, and if their account is public, other users will be able to use this audio in their videos.

Videos created with the new feature can be shared as Stories or Posts, limiting the audience if desired.

The battle for buzzers: how Instagram wants to take over the TikTok audience

In addition, Facebook and Instagram are also launching a new music sticker in Stories. To add music to your Stories, you will need to follow these steps:

  • open the camera in the application, select a photo or video from the gallery, click on the sticker icon and select the Music sticker;
  • find any song from the library, select a fragment, add the name of the artist and the name of the song. If the composition has lyrics, it will automatically appear on the screen;
  • click on a sticker to change the text style and animation. The sticker can be moved, rotated and resized.

With the release of the music sticker, Instagram and Facebook users will be able to answer questions in Stories with songs. In addition, Facebook users will be able to add their favorite track to the Hobbies / Interests section and pin it to the profile header - it will be played every time someone decides to visit this user's profile.

“Reinventing TikTok is unlikely to succeed”: what’s wrong with YouTube and Facebook’s short video services

Instagram began to roll out the Reels feature around the world in an attempt to attract the TikTok audience. In Russia, the short video format is gaining popularity - VKontakte is already developing its own clone of TikTok - the service is called Clips. In addition, in the fall of 2020, the head of the Ministry of Education, Sergey Kravtsov, announced joint plans with Mail.ru Group to develop an educational network for Russian schoolchildren, similar to TikTok.

30 most expensive Runet companies. Forbes rating

30 photos

  • Marina Dulneva

    Author

  • Anastasia Skrynnikova

    Editorial Forbes

#Instagram #reels #Facebook #the Internet #tiktok #video

Forbes Newsletter

The most important thing about finance, investment, business and technology

Instagram Music not available in your region? Here's how to get it

From time to time, you may come across Instagram Stories that have "music", and whenever you turn them on, the app says: "Instagram music is not available in your region." Well, Instagram Music is the latest addition to Instagram Stories that allows you to add a small music clip to your stories. Clicking on it plays the song and users can reply with a message or share the song with their story.

I wanted to try this feature, but for some reason I couldn't find it anywhere. It turns out that Instagram only launched the feature in a few countries such as Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the US. If you live outside of these countries, you can't watch other people's music on Instagram or create your own. Luckily, with this guide, there is a way to not only add music to your stories, but also access music in other people's stories. Let's start.

This isn't Spotify Music

Instagram music is different from the Spotify stories you've been watching in your Instagram feed. Unlike Instagram Music, Spotify only allows you to post the album art of the song you are listening to on Spotify, and there is no sound in these stories. If you want to add Spotify history, please go to Spotify, play the song and click the "Options" button on the top right corner. Click the Share button and select Instagram Stories. The app will open Instagram and put the album art as a story preview and you can post it as your story or DM to your friends.

Like Spotify, Instagram Music is licensed by record companies and they can only release this feature in those regions. To get around this geo-restriction, you can use a good VPN to access your Instagram music. Well, there are more steps to take here than just running a VPN. This works on both Andriod and iOS devices.

Instagram Music is not available in your region - here's how to fix it

First, uninstall the Instagram app from your device. This is very important because the app is registered in your country the first time you launch the app.

After uninstalling the app, enable VPN on your phone. use Smart DNS Proxy But you can use any VPN and it should work fine. SurfEasy is a free alternative if you don't need a paid VPN. Make sure you've connected a server from one of those countries, otherwise you won't see the Music button.

List of countries - Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, UK, USA.

Once your VPN is enabled, go to the Play Store and install Instagram again. After installation is complete, sign in to your account.

Now tap the add story button or swipe up on the home screen in the Instagram app. Now look in the lower left corner, you will see the Music tab. You can record a video by pressing a button and then selecting the music of your choice.

You can simply add a short 15 second video to your stories and adjust the slider to select your favorite part of the song. Pretty neat, isn't it?

What's more, you can also add music to photos. Go to your story and take a picture as usual. Press the sticker button and select music. Find your favorite track, scroll down to your favorite snippet and add it. Spread the story.

You can move the music board around the story page and place it anywhere, it will show up as a static image and display the "Instagram Music is not available in your region" error if the person viewing your story is not from one of the countries.

Learn more