Listening Together: Facebook’s Social Audio Features

Facebook is rolling out an array of new features that it dubs “social audio experiences.” These audio-based features are clearly meant to compete with Clubhouse, an invite-only app that lets you host audio-only chatrooms.

Facebook’s Clubhouse Competitor Is Coming Soon

Facebook refuses to fall behind the curve, and its upcoming updates demonstrate that. In a post onthe About Facebook blog , Facebook announced several new audio-based ways to communicate on the platform.

Live Audio Rooms is but one audio-only feature that Facebook is exploring. So far, it’s shaping up to be a lot like Clubhouse, as it will let users take part in live audio chatrooms.

Related: Facebook Is Testing a Business Recommendation Tool in Your News Feed

Facebook will begin testing Live Audio Rooms with Groups and public figures, giving users the chance to “share ideas with new audiences and create a forum for discussion, without the added pressure of being on camera.” It plans on officially launching the feature on Messenger this summer.

Facebook is also introducing Soundbites, which it describes as “short-form creative audio clips for capturing anecdotes, jokes, moments of inspiration, poems, and many other things we haven’t yet imagined.” The platform will begin testing the feature in the coming months, starting with a small group of content creators.

Soundbites will appear in your News Feed, and will be recorded with Facebook’s new built-in sound studio. Here, you can add background music, mix audio tracks, and even add voice effects, allowing you to make your Soundbite all the more engaging.

Image Credit: Facebook

To attract creators to Live Audio Rooms and Soundbites, Facebook is offering some financial incentives. Creators will be able to monetize their Live Audio Rooms, giving them the chance to be compensated through Room access fees, subscriptions, and tips from fans. Facebook is also launching an Audio Creator Fund for those interested in creating quality Soundbites.

But that’s still not all—Facebook is even taking on podcasts. In the next few months, you’ll be able to listen to podcasts through Facebook, even if you have the app running in the background.

Image Credit: Facebook

Facebook also says that it will help you discover new podcasts, as its algorithm will gauge your interests based on the podcasts you listen to, comment on, and share.

Facebook Dives Headfirst Into Audio

Facebook isn’t just launching a small audio-based experiment, it’s going all out. With podcasts, Soundbites, and Live Audio Rooms in the works, Clubhouse may have to do a little more in order to compete.

But then again, it is Facebook we’re talking about. Users might not want to get sucked into the privacy nightmare that is Facebook, and might opt for Clubhouse instead.