Facebook Adds Music Clips in Comments to Add New Context to Your Replies

Here’s a feature that nobody asked for, and won’t be annoying in any way shape or form.

Some Facebook users have noted a new pop-up in the app alerting them to the fact that they can now insert music into their Facebook comments.

As you can see in this example, shared by social media expert Matt Navarra, you can now add music clips into your post replies, providing another way to make people listen to your favorite tracks, and promote artists in the chat.

The process is powered by the same system as the music sticker in Stories, enabling you to search for tracks by tapping on the music note icon at the right of the comment panel. You can then select a segment of the track to offer as a sample, which could be another way to add context to your remarks, link others through to new music/artists, make comedic references via Rick Astley clips, etc.

Though I can’t imagine it will be hugely popular – but then again, maybe I’m too old, or I’m just missing the point, and I do see that there could be some applications in which this would be a handy engagement prompt within the app.

But as others have noted, it does feel a little MySpace-like.

Facebook did actually try to go full MySpace on this front back in 2018, with an option to add your favorite song to your Facebook profile, and pin it to the top, just below your display name.

That took me back. Remember when tracks would autoplay when people visited your MySpace profile, so you could blast people with the latest metal tracks to welcome them into your world? A truly inviting and engaging social media experience. I wonder why MySpace ever failed.

Yeah, as any wannabe DJ can attest, forcing people to listen to your favorite music is generally not a pathway to optimal interaction – but maybe, by providing audio clips as a reference point in your comments, that could be an interesting addition. And while I don’t think they’re going to become the new GIFs, there could be some interesting uses. Maybe. I don’t know.

Anyway, some users are seeing the new prompt appear in the app, and it may be worth experimenting with to see what it’s like, and what you can make of it.