Facebook is testing a new feature that will allow its users to compete with one another in singing contests, according to code discovered in the app by a security researcher.
The Talent Show feature, if it pushes through, will follow Facebook's push to allow videos with copyrighted music on the social network. It will also likely involve Lip Sync Live, which will be a rival to popular app Musical.ly.
Facebook Talent Show In Testing
The Lip Sync Live feature may not be the only thing in Facebook's plan to challenge Musical.ly, as researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered code in the social network's app that refers to something called Talent Show.
The Talent Show feature is not yet live on the Facebook app, but it appears to be legitimate. Wong, using reverse engineering tactics, has a history of discovering features that have not yet launched or are in testing.
For Talent Show, Wong discovered that it comes with an interface that will allow users to scroll through a list and pick a song. The users will then be able to record themselves while singing to the selected track. Wong, however, noted that the feature may be available only in Facebook Pages, similar to the limitation of Facebook's trivia game show feature. This likely means that only page administrators will be able to launch Talent Show.
The feature in testing, which tagged Facebook singing videos as auditions, will allow singers to challenge one another in competitions. Talent Show will also provide another platform for talented singers to be discovered.
Appearing in the Facebook app's code does not necessarily mean that the Talent Show feature will soon become reality. However, given the social network's renewed focus on music, there is a legitimate chance that Talent Show will officially become a new Facebook feature soon.
Music On Facebook
In June, the social network started allowing users to upload Facebook videos with music, after the company struck music licensing deals with major and independent labels. Previously, users who upload Facebook videos with licensed music saw their videos taken down.
In addition, Facebook announced Lip Sync Live, which like Musical.ly, will allow users to create and share homemade music videos. The feature is accessible through Facebook Live for select users, and since it is launched within the Facebook app, sharing the video on the social network is seamless.
Facebook said at the time that it will be developing more ways to integrate music into the social network, and it looks like Talent Show will be one of them.
