A new Instagram feature allows users to add music to their grid posts — and Olivia Rodrigo is the first person to do it.
The feature was introduced today by Rodrigo, who used it to unveil her new song, “bad idea right?” Instagram users can attach a song of their choice to soundtrack a carousel post with multiple photos or videos, similar to how tracks can be added to Stories or Reels. The feature appears to be in the process of rolling out to users.
Sadly, The Verge did not get a preview of the song and post under embargo, so I can’t really tell you much about it. But if it’s anything like “good 4 u” off of her last album, I already like it.
Instagram is also releasing a handful of new features besides this one. First, followers will have a new incentive to make Reels: when a fan uses the “add yours” sticker to make a video based on a prompt, they’ll have a chance to be highlighted by the original creator or artist. When a creator selects a submission to be highlighted, the video appears at the top of a landing page, showing other Reels stemming from the sticker prompt. Creators will be able to pin up to 10 Reels to highlight, and fans will get a notification if their video is selected by the creator.
Instagram is also expanding its collaborative publishing feature to include up to three other accounts as co-authors of posts. The Collabs feature allows both public and private accounts to jointly share content and have it appear on each account’s feed.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/11/23827690/olivia-rodrigo-instagram-music-carousel