Instagram launches @music, its first dedicated vertical

The channel will feature photos and posts from artists, photographer, illustrators and fans

Seemingly every company out there now wants to be in the music business, and that usually means launching yet another streaming service that nobody will use.

Now Instagram is leveraging its own position to nudge its way in, but it is doing it in a more interesting, and I would say worthwhile, way.

On Wednesday, the photo-sharing company announced its first ever dedicated vertical, called @music, which it will use to highlight artists in the community, both those who are established and those just coming up.

"The music community is –– and always has been –– an important part of Instagram. For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small –– a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans," Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram, wrote in a blog post.

Like Twitter, Instagram has become a platform for celebrities to leverage their brand, and establish a closer relationship with their fans. Major artists have amassed huge followings on Instagram, including Beyonce, who has the most followed account on the platform, with 30.9 million. Other musicians with big Instagram followings include Ariana Grande, with 30.1 million; Taylor Swift, with 28.3 million; and Justin Beiber, with 26 million.

The @music channel already has its first post up, with a photo from Roots drummer and “Tonight Show” bandleader Questlove, in which he talks about what it means to play for the fans.

“When I first started, I was just desperate,” he said. “I was like, this is a hit, this is a hit, this is a hit. And you get addicted to the adrenaline rush of, ‘OH MY GOD THIS IS MY SONG.’ You kill them so much. I realized that now I am more obsessed with the opposite. I will put a bad song on and actually watch them filter out the floor. And I will wait two minutes [then play] ‘Uptown Funk’ –– ‘OH MY GOD IT’S MY SONG’ –– and then the scream is bigger than before."

The post has been up for three hours and already has nearly 1,000 likes. 

The series won't only be on artists, though, but will also feature music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and, most interestingly, fans. 

"In the Instagram tradition, we will also welcome community participation with a new, music-themed monthly hashtag project," Systrom said.

Instagram hit a milestone of 300 million users in December of last year, giving it nearly the same number of users as Twitter. Twitter, of course, tried to get into the music space as well, with its  #Music app, which Twitter launched in April of 2013, to help users find music to listen to through Twitter. It tried to integrate with existing streaming apps, like Spotify and Rdio, and allowed users to see what music their favorite artists were listening to.

The app premiered right after Twitter bought music discovery service We Are Hunted. Twitter even hired Bob Moczydlowsky, the former senior vice president of product and marketing at Topspin Media, as its new head of music. In his new role, Moczydlowsky was put in charge of handling music partnerships, as well as hiring two new deputies who will handle artist relations.

None of that worked out, though. #Music was shut down in April of last year, and Moczydlowsky left Twitter in February of this year. 

Perhaps Instagram will succeed in music where Twitter failed because it is leveraging what makes Instagram special: rather than trying to tie back into streaming, it is using itself as a platform for users to feel closer to artists, and get the inside scoop on the industry itself.

(Image source: instagram.com)