Facebook is working on a music app to rival TikTok: report

Facebook wants those teens back, and music might be the answer.

The social media giant is creating a standalone video music app that is set to rival TikTok (a.k.a. Musical.ly), according to a report by TechCrunch.

Facebook, usually not averse to looking to others for inspiration, has apparently codenamed the project “Lasso.” The app is set to be full-screen and directed at teens, much like TikTok is already, according to a source who spoke to the outlet.

“A lot of what they’re doing is just trying to be cool and trying to be something that Facebook isn’t,” the source said.

A hit with younger users, TikTok allows people to record short music videos of themselves lip-synching to popular songs. 

Acquired for $1 billion by Chinese tech firm ByteDance last year, TikTok hit 500 million users in June, and was the most downloaded on Apple’s App Store in the first half of this year.

Facebook has apparently been looking at teen music apps since 2016, but held off when it thought what was then called Musical.ly wouldn’t take off. But in the past year, the social media giant has been slowly upping its musical ambitions.

Earlier this year, Facebook begun testing of Lip Sync Live in certain markets, which is a singalong feature integrated into Facebook Live. The feature has been rolled out to more people and updated with lyrics integration today. 

Facebook has also added the ability to add songs to your Facebook profile, in a real throwback to the MySpace era.

Given the immense popularity of TikTok, Facebook’s bet on music could be a smart one.