Have you seen an Instagram story and couldn’t forget it because it was so entertaining? That 15 second-or-so reel probably incorporates background music that breathes so much life into it. If you are looking to imitate that kind of post as part of your social media content creator goals, you have come to the right place. Stick with us to find out how to add music to your Instagram story.
Instagram is a great mobile application to share flashes of your life with family, friends, and fans. For some, it helps them grow their businesses or make their voices heard. Whatever you use Instagram for, adding music to your Instagram story will surely make people notice your posts.
Also Read: Ultimate Guide to Instagram Stories and Features
Inside This Article
What Is Instagram Music?
Before you jive to the beat of your Instagram story’s sounds, we’ll give you a quick backgrounder about music on the social media platform.
Instagram Music is part of the platform developers’ goal of bringing new ways for you to feel connected to your friends and families online. It comes as a sticker for incorporating music into your Instagram stories. It is supported on iOS and Android devices, but the catch is that it is not available in all regions or countries yet. We will tackle how to fix this issue in later sections of this guide.
Instagram launched the cool sticker feature in 2018 and since then, it is used by more than 400 million Instagram users daily. In a 2018 article announcing Instagram Music, the people behind the platform said Instagram continues to add more music to its library every day. So, hurry and upgrade your Instagram to its newest version to add music to your Instagram story the way you want it.
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How to Add Music to Your Instagram Stories
As of January 2021, the Instagram Music feature is available in the following countries or regions: Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Sweden, UK, and the US.
Here’s how to add music to your Instagram story if you are in the said places covered by the platform:
1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap the home button before proceeding.
3. Swipe on the display to see the Instagram story creation interface.
4. Shoot a photo or video in real time via the record button or pick a pre-recorded video or photo on your gadget.
5. Once the clip or photo is taken, tap the post-it icon with a smiley face from the options at the top of the screen.
6. On the search bar, type “Music.”
7. Select a song that would best accompany the video or photo you took.
8. From here, select how the music sticker would appear.
*The sticker can appear as lyrics on the screen, cover art, or a small box with the song title and artist on it.
9. Tap “Done” if you’re satisfied and post the story.
DisclaimerAn Instagram user outside the mentioned jurisdictions would be able to see the Instagram story but would not be able to hear the music. Instead, an error message stating that Instagram Music is not available in the region would appear.
As you now know, it’s easy to add music to your Instagram story compared to coming up with texts for your posts. If you’re having difficulties with the latter, we advise you to check our article about the best Instagram caption generators that help your posts go viral.
How to Fix Instagram Music If Restricted in Your Area
What if Instagram Music is inaccessible, you ask? The main reason why it might not be available in some countries and regions is very simple: copyright.
Instagram has to acquire a license legally to play the songs it offers as part of the Instagram Music sticker feature. In fact, it does procure media that way. It was even reported that the feature has become successful after Facebook (Instagram’s parent company) got an agreement with Sony Music, Universal Music, and the Warner Music Group to stream clips on Facebook and Instagram.
So, how do you fix the issue of Instagram Music being restricted in your region? Below are various workarounds to make Instagram Music work.
1. Use a VPN Service
Instagram uses your location when running the app for the first time. This is how it detects whether you can use the Instagram Music feature or not. To add music to your Instagram story without a regional restriction, uninstall the app from your device first. Turn on the best VPN on your Android or iOS device after the app has been uninstalled. Don’t forget to pick a server based on a location where Instagram Music is known to work.
Next, get the app on your gadget again. Once it’s re-installed, begin creating an Instagram story via your official account. Follow the previously discussed steps on how to add music to your Instagram story afterward. Again, make sure the VPN service is running while doing so.
2. Use Third-Party Apps
If you are tech-savvy enough, you might know how to edit videos using third-party mobile apps already. That is a plus if you are in a region or country where Instagram Music is not available. You can use editing apps to browse for and add music to your Instagram stories. Here are our selections for you.
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Capcut Video EditorCapcut Video Editor has risen as a video editor of choice because of Tiktok. The app contains a reliable set of editing tools, including those for extracting audio from a screen-recorded video and using that audio as a piece of embedded music for a different video. |
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TiktokTiktok is a video-sharing app where users can upload pre-recorded videos or clips taken in-app. It also contains editing tools, albeit basic ones. One of its main strengths is the ability to add music to videos that can be reuploaded on other platforms like Instagram. |
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iMovie for iOSiMovie is a built-in app on most iPhones and iPads. It is pretty easy to use, especially when you want to put a piece of embedded music on your videos. Download iMovie for iOS. |
3. Add Music to Stories From Spotify and Apple Music
This option is quite limited to just displaying the song’s cover art, title, and artist information. You can’t actually play the song from Instagram in the same way as using the Instagram Music sticker feature. Nonetheless, it’s a good way to share a story and add music to it that other people can listen to from Spotify or Apple Music. Here’s how to do it.
On Spotify
1. Navigate to the Spotify app on your gadget.
2. Locate the song to incorporate into your Instagram story.
3. Tap on the three-dot icon beside the song title and artist to open Options.
4. Scroll down and tap Share.
5. From the options, choose Instagram.
Spotify will automatically prepare the action as an Instagram story. All you have to do afterward is tap “Send to” and choose whether to share the story as a public Instagram story or only to your Close Friends list.
On Apple Music
1. On your gadget’s home interface, pick the Apple Music app.
2. Search from your library the song you wish to share on Instagram.
3. Tap the three-dot icon beside the song title.
4. Select “Share Song…”
5. On the share option bar, scroll to the right until you locate “More” (three dots).
6. Swipe up to find and press the second Instagram icon from the options.
From here, Apple Music will transfer the screen to Instagram stories and display a banner showing the cover art of the song, song title, and artist. Tap “Send to” and that’s it. Job well done.
Bonus: How to Add Music to Instagram Posts and Reels
Instagram posts are different from Instagram Stories. The former refers to those posts that go into your feed whereas Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours. However, you can also add music to your Instagram posts and the process is not that different from adding music to your Instagram story using a third-party app.
Here are the procedures to follow:
1. Choose a third-party app where you can edit your videos.
2. Edit the video to your liking and embed the music you want on the video.
3. Render the video afterward and wait for the process to finish.
4. Open the Instagram app from your device’s home interface.
5. Press the + icon at the bottom of the interface for new post creation.
6. Locate the rendered video from your camera roll and select it.
7. Tap Next so you can add filters, trim the video, and even select a cover photo.
8. Once done, type a caption before tapping “Share” to post the video on your Instagram feed.
Creating an entertaining and engaging Instagram post does not get any easier than that!
Final Word
Social media platforms like Instagram are evolving now more than ever – just take a look at how they’ve become filled with interesting features. From a marketing standpoint, new features are strategic when it comes to encouraging download and usage of the apps. From a user standpoint, those add to the many ways of sharing glimpses of our lives with others and connecting with them. That is why learning how to add music to an Instagram story is vital to a great social experience on the platform. Equally important are adding links to Instagram stories to help grow a business, raise awareness about a topic, or simply promote a product.
We hope this article has proven insightful and helpful in making your Instagram story more entertaining!
