Facebook to launch Live Audio Rooms and other audio products 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 that will be available on both Facebook and Messenger, an audio clip sharing product Soundbites, and Spotify podcast discovery features.

Facebook's move 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 , with a monthly active user base of 1.8 billion.

During the beta phase, the feature will also be made available 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 entrepreneur Nastia Liukin.

Live Audio Rooms are expected to be available to all users on Facebook and Messenger by this summer .

In terms of content monetization of Live Audio Rooms, Facebook users can provide financial support to creators or donate to charitable causes through the Stars tipping feature . The company also stated that it will launch other monetization tools in the future, such as access to Live Audio Rooms through subscriptions, 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 . The feature will allow users to quickly browse algorithmically sorted short audio clips, make multi-genre and multi-themed audio clips, and share interesting content.

Facebook will test the feature with a small group of content creators over the coming 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 that 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 around podcasts.

But currently users still have to 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 music while using other apps. 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 in the app.

Facebook and Spotify have reached an expansion plan for their collaboration, which is internally known as the "Boombox Project." A Spotify spokesperson said: "Facebook's interest in audio confirms the power and potential of this content format. Our goal has always been to make Spotify ubiquitous across platforms and devices, bringing music and podcast content to more people, and this collaboration with Facebook is a further step in our efforts to achieve this goal."

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