Snapchat to take on TikTok with its upcoming music-powered feature

Currently being tested, this feature will allow Snapchat to effectively capture a chunk of the TikTok users who have been looking for alternatives ever since the Trump administration in the US have been hot-footing a ban on TikTok and other Chinese tech companies.

FILE PHOTO: A billboard displays the logo of Snapchat above Times Square in New York March 12, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo (REUTERS)

Snapchat is all set to take on TikTok with the announcement of a new feature that will allow Snapchat users set their Snaps to music - just like TikTok does. Currently being tested, this feature will allow Snapchat to effectively capture a chunk of the TikTok users who have been looking for alternatives ever since the Trump administration in the US have been hot-footing a ban on TikTok and other Chinese tech companies.

TikTok is currently banned in India and in some other countries as well, so if Snapchat manages to roll this out, many of TikTok users might just migrate.

TikTok alternatives like Likee, Byte, Dubsmash, Triller etc have been steadily climbing the apps store charts in the US as users are looking for other avenues. Even Instagram has launched their own music-powered feature called Reels to take on TikTok.

With Snapchat's new feature, as TechCrunch reports, users will be able to add music to a video just before shooting it or after it is done and can have a pick of a wide collection of music tracks. This collection of available music is going to be brought in through Snap's deals with its music industry partners like Warner Music, Warner Chappell, Universal Music Publishing, NMPA, Merlin etc - all of whom have licensed their music for use on in the app.

When users share their Snap with these music tracks, their friends will be able to swipe up to view the album art, artist name and song title of the track used. There is also going to be a

“Play this song” link. Once you click on that, the link will open in Linkfire to let users listen to the whole song, not a snippet, on their platform of choice. Connected platforms include Spotify, SoundCloud or Apple Music.

This feature is different from what TikTok currently allows. Clicking on a TikTok video's sound link takes users to a page where there are other clips that have used the same track. And while TikTok lacks this feature, that hasn't stopped TikTok users from hunting down tracks they have liked.

Snapchat says that its new music feature will let fans find music they like and connect better with the artists' works. There is also a stress on this feature being a tool for close friends which can influence others to try out new music because Snap's userbase values recommendations that come from friends.

According to the company, Snapchat already has 90% of 13 to 24-year-olds in the US on board and that's more than Facebook, Messenger and Instagram combined. Snapchat says that it also reaches 75% of the 13 to 34-year olds.

TikTok has a large international base but Snapchat claims that it reaches more US users than both Twitter and TikTok combined, as per data.

Snapchat plans to roll out this new feature across English-language markets this fall.