Snapchat & Sony Music Partner for AR Music Lenses

Snapchat and Sony Music Entertainment Announce Partnership

A new agreement has been reached between Snapchat and Sony Music Entertainment. This collaboration will integrate music from the label’s artists into Snapchat’s Sounds library.

Alongside this announcement, Snapchat is developing innovative AR music lenses. These will enhance the user experience with interactive audio-visual features.

New AR Lens Features

Snapchat is set to introduce “Sound Lenses” which embed a pre-selected song directly into the lens itself. These lenses will offer a dynamic way to interact with music.

Further enhancements include lenses that visually transform users, making it appear as though they are performing a song. “Cameo Sound Lenses” will also be available, applying visual effects synchronized with the audio.

Immersive Music Experience and AR Engagement

With over 200 million daily users engaging with augmented reality features, Snapchat anticipates these new “Sound Lenses” will significantly enrich the platform’s music experience.

The company has consistently expanded its AR capabilities over recent years. Recent updates have focused on improving the functionality of its Lens Studio.

Strategic Partnerships for Sound Access

The partnership with Sony Music Entertainment is strategically timed. Access to a diverse range of sounds is increasingly vital for social media platforms seeking a competitive edge.

Snapchat users will now be able to incorporate fully licensed music from Sony Music artists into their Snaps. These can then be shared with other users or published on Snapchat Spotlight.

Expanding Audio Library

This new collaboration follows a recent deal with NBCUniversal, granting users access to licensed audio from their TV shows and movies.

Snapchat already maintains partnerships with a broad spectrum of industry leaders. These include Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, NMPA, Warner Chappell, Kobalt, and BMG.

Competition with TikTok

Snapchat is actively working to strengthen its position against TikTok. TikTok’s popularity is largely attributed to its short-form video format set to a vast music library.

Providing users with access to a wider variety of sounds is a key component of Snapchat’s strategy to compete effectively.

The “Sounds” feature, launched last year, allows users to add music to their Snaps.

Sounds Feature Performance

Since its introduction, the “Sounds” feature has been highly successful. Over 521 million videos have been created using music from the library, generating 31 billion views.

Notably, nearly 45% of all Snapchat videos created with “Sounds” are shared privately via direct message, rather than being publicly posted.

Global Availability

The expanded Sony Music Sounds catalog will be accessible to Snapchat users worldwide, on both iOS and Android devices.