Snapchat Now Owns Voisey
Snapchat appears to have acquired music creation app ‘Voisey,’ entering itself into the realm of music creation.
Voisey is a start-up based in the UK, founded in 2018 by a group of music-tech entrepreneurs. Users can upload their own beats or record vocals over the top of existing instrumentals, all tied neatly into an (up to) 60-second video. They can also adjust the sound of their voice with the app’s range of audio filters. Just like with TikTok and Instagram reels, users can comment on and react to clips.
(Image Creds: Voisey)
Speculation surrounding this acquisition started when Voisey changed its business location from their Independent studio to that of Snap Inc. Two Snap employees were also reportedly given directorship roles in the company, after a handful of Voisey’s staff resigned. However, neither Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. nor Voisey have disclosed details of the deal.
As Snapchat apparently works its way into the music industry, it has the potential to mature into a more prominent competitor for TikTok. Voisey, described as “TikTok for music creation,” looks a lot like TikTok with its familiar vertical chain of lip-syncing and singing videos. The platforms have also both popularised independent talent, such as A Girl in Red (Tik Tok) and as Olivia Knight ‘Poutyface’ (Voisey).
Voisey and TikTok, however, do have differences – some of which might give Voisey an edge over TikTok in the music world. For example, whilst TikTok has partnerships with record labels, Voisey features user-created beats, allowing creators to inject their songs with a personal feel. Voisey’s voice effects, such as auto-tune, automated harmonies and simulated effects, can also, appealingly, make most voices sound professional. And, whilst Voisey gives record labels a streamlined route to artist discovery, music-related content on TikTok is in and amongst clips of #whatIeatinaday, absurd pranks and fluffy animals.
It’s not clear what Snapchat plans to do with Voisey – will it merge the two applications, so that Snapchat adopts Voisey’s features? Or will Snapchat run Voisey as a separate app to see if it can gain enough traction to compete with TikTok? Currently, the answers are unavailable to us. Either way, it is a clever move considering the popularity of Voisey amongst the younger audience.
As Snapchat takes steps towards becoming a music tastemaker, it might be able to usurp TikTok’s powerful position in the music industry – let’s see what happens in the upcoming months.
Finally, for our previous #SocialShort, click here.
