A nod to the Myspace era, Instagram just launched a new feature that allows you to add music to your profile. The feature is in collaboration with singer Sabrina Carpenter, who released a teaser of her new song “Taste” on her Instagram profile ahead of her album release on Friday.
To add a song to your profile, go to “edit profile” and search titles from Instagram’s music library. Just like when you’re picking a song for Instagram Reels or Stories, you can select up to a 30-second-long segment of the tune by sliding left or right. Unlike Myspace, however, the song doesn’t play automatically when you visit someone’s profile; instead, you need to click on the play button first.
You can also change or remove the song at any time by going back into “edit profile” or by tapping on the song on your profile.
Instagram reportedly began experimenting with music on profiles in 2022. The new feature aims to enhance user profiles by enabling them to express their song tastes and enhance their creative expression on the platform. The app first added the ability to add music to Stories way back in 2018. Last year, it rolled out a way for users to add music to Notes and photo carousels.
The new feature is being introduced at a time when users feel nostalgic about the “good ol’ days” of social networking. New apps are vying to be the modern-day Myspace, such as Noplace, a text-based social app with Gen-Z-focused features like customizable profiles with fun, bright colors.
Instagram is likely attempting to compete with new alternative social media platforms that are trying to become the next big thing, as users are becoming tired of the social media giant. Some examples include BeReal, Daylyy, Palmsy, Lapse, Whee, and others.