Facebook Will Launch Audio Products Such As Live Audio Rooms This Summer

According to foreign media reports, Facebook announced yesterday that it will launch a series of audio features similar to Clubhouse in the next few months, including an audio-only version of Live Audio Rooms and audio clip sharing products that will be available on both Facebook and Messenger. Soundbites and Spotify podcast discovery features.

The move by Facebook suggests it is taking the threat from Clubhouse and other audio platforms more seriously.

Live Audio Rooms

Facebook said it will first test Live Audio Rooms in the form of groups, bringing the group's monthly active users to 1.8 billion.

The feature will also be available during the beta phase to public figures and industry experts, including American football quarterback Russell Wilson, Grammy-nominated electronic music artist TOKiMONSTA, artist and director Elle Moxley, and five-time Olympic medalist and business owner Home Nastia Liukin.

It is expected that by this summer, Live Audio Rooms will be available to all users on Facebook and Messenger simultaneously.

In terms of content monetization in Live Audio Rooms, Facebook users can provide financial support to creators or donate to charity through the Stars tip function. The company also said it will launch other monetization tools in the future, such as subscription access to Live Audio Rooms, and will set up an audio creator fund for Soundbites.

Soundbites

Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook is developing Soundbites, an audio-only version of its Instagram Reels. This feature will allow users to quickly browse algorithmically sorted short audio clips, make multi-genre and multi-topic audio clips, and share interesting content.

Facebook will test the feature with a small group of content creators over the next few months before rolling it out to a wider audience.

Spotify podcast discovery feature

Facebook said in its blog that while the company is a strong supporter of short-form audio content, it also believes some stories and conversations deserve more airtime. Currently, more than 170 million people follow the Facebook accounts of podcast creators, and more than 35 million users are members of fan groups surrounding podcasts.

But currently users must also leave the Facebook app to listen to podcast content. So Facebook is developing ways to help its users access podcast audio content more easily.

In the coming months, users will be able to listen to podcasts directly on the Facebook app or as background sounds using other apps. And Facebook will also help users discover new podcasts based on their interests, allowing users to comment on them and recommend them to friends, as well as connect with new listeners within the app.

Facebook and Spotify have reached an expansion plan internally known as "Project Boombox." A spokesperson for Spotify said: “Facebook’s interest in audio confirms the power and potential of this content format is limitless. Our goal has always been to make Spotify ubiquitous across platforms and devices, bringing music and podcast content to Bringing it to more people, and partnering with Facebook is our further effort to achieve this goal."