Facebook is attempting to give YouTube a run for its money. On December 8, the social network released a feature called Sound Collection, along with 360-video tools, in an attempt to lure content creators away from YouTube. The feature comes a month after the company released Facebook for Creators, a “one-stop shop” for making and promoting videos.
Sound Collection allows users to pair thousands of different audio tracks and sound effects with their videos. Tracks in the collection are free and exclusive to Facebook and Instagram.
Well-known musicians and composers of all genres were commissioned to create audio for Sound Collection. The result is a robust and diverse collection content including jazz, hip-hop, and pop. Content creators can search for the appropriate track using different search criteria including mood, length, and vocal preference. Tracks and effects will frequently be added to Sound Collection so users should expect plenty of offerings on the platform.
In addition to Sound Collection, Facebook also introduced new resources and tools for 360-degree video creation. Partnering with Blend Media, Facebook created a 360 Community page, offering tutorials and educational resources for content creators who are new to 360-degree video. While there’s a pretty significant collection of resources on the page already, Facebook intends to build the library in the coming months.
After meeting with hundreds of 360-video creators in 2017, Facebook intends to hold more workshops and meetups in 2018. The events will be held around the globe and will be listed on the 360 Community page. Recaps will be available on the community page for people who are unable to make it to an event.
Facebook also launched a new video editing tool called 360 Director. The feature is available for Pages and Profiles and allows users to add annotations and use the Guide feature to highlight points of interest in 360 videos.
The social media giant also launched its Camera Loaner Program with Blend Media. Content creators can now borrow 360-degree cameras directly from Blend Media for special projects and experiments. Right now the program is limited to the GoPro Fusion and ZCam S1, but Facebook plans to add more cameras after launch.
