Stories and Reels have become the predominant content consumed on Instagram. It’s essential to post regularly on Stories (we recommend a minimum of five times a day) and on Reels at least once a week (more if possible!). Integrating your music helps get more eyes and ears on your music and your brand, which forges a stronger connection between your fans and followers by allowing them to experience your music in new ways. This connection is crucial for bridging the gap and attracting new fans.

So, how do you actually get your music on Stories and Reels for use?

Instagram’s In-App Music Library

Instagram has their own in-app Music Library. When you are uploading your release for distribution, make sure that you have selected Facebook & Instagram as a store to release to. This is the only way to get included in the library upon release. Tunecore & Distrokid have joined in a special partnership with Facebook to making getting your music onto Stories easier than ever! Read more about that here.

Once your music has been distributed, anyone can access your music to share on Instagram, which is fantastic once you start looking at things like having fans share your music in their stories, influencers sharing in their Reels, and so on.  Many independent artists are frustrated because Meta (Facebook and Instagram) doesn’t automatically pull your music from any of the streaming platforms, so you have to upload it yourself. We’ve had many artists ask us how to get their music into their library. In order to do this you must submit your music for inclusion.  Here’s how…

Both Instagram and Facebook get their lyrics from a platform called Musixmatch. The music and lyrics you see in Stories are pulled directly from the Musixmatch catalog. To get your music in their library, first you’ll need to become a Verified Artist.

Here is a step-by-step guide to add, edit, and sync your lyrics to Musixmatch:

1. Download the Musixmatch desktop app
2. Sign in with the account you just made
3. Connect your preferred streaming service
4. Play your song (From Spotify or Apple Music – the app will show the lyrics automatically)
5. If your lyrics aren’t available, click “Add lyrics” and type them out by hand
6. Review and Edit the lyrics to make sure everything is correct – and sync them
7. You’re done!

Add your music to your story with the “music” sticker and start sharing it with your followers!

The Spotify & Apple Music Apps

One way to get your music on Instagram Stories is to share your music straight from the Spotify App on your phone. When you share from it your Story will display your cover art or “Canvas”, song title, and your artist name, along with a link which will show up under your username for fans to click which will lead them to your track on Spotify. Using the Spotify App unfortunately does not offer a way for your music to play during your story.

The same goes for the Apple Music App. When you share to your Story, it will display your cover art, song title, and your artist name, along with a link which will show up under your username for fans to click which will lead them to your track on Spotify. Using the Apple App unfortunately does not offer a way for your music to play during your story (deja vu)!

Using Your Phone

Getting your music on your Instagram Stories and Reels can be as simple as playing it in the background. Open Spotify or Apple Music and start playing your song through your phone speakers. Go back to the Instagram app, swipe over to story, and start recording. The microphone will pick up the song that you have playing in the background. You can add text to let people know the name of the song and where they can find it. This is a quick & easy trick to get your music heard.

Pre-Edited Videos

You can also use apps like iMovie to create an Instagram Story or Reel video. You can use a still, or a moving video, and drag your music into the background of the video. You can also take advantage of text options in iMovie or on Instagram Stories themselves. You will need to export the video as a .mp4, then AirDrop or send it to your phone and save it to your camera roll.

Once saved to your camera roll, open the Instagram app, swipe over to Stories, and click the little icon in the bottom left to open your camera roll. Click on the video and it will open in Instagram Stories for you to post.

Using Your Music on Instagram Stories and Reels

Now that you know how to get your music into Instagram’s in-app library, let’s talk about how to use it.

After you open Instagram Stories or Reels and take a photo or video (or upload one from your camera roll), swipe up. You will see the display of stickers that Instagram offers for their Stories. Click the “Music” sticker.

Next, start searching for your music in their search bar. Click on the song you’re looking for and it will open as an overlay on your Story or Reel. Tap on the sticker itself to change it. There are multiple options – some are cover art/song title display options, and others are font options for the lyrics (our favorite option)!

Business accounts may only be able to access a small amount of royalty-free music (this comes from Facebook’s sound library). The good news is that there is an easy fix to this! Switch your account from a Business account to a Creator account and BOOM, problem solved! (Plus, you still get things like insights so there is not much of a difference).

That’s it! Now you’re ready to start crushing your social media game.

Want more key advice on social media trends? Check out our Social Media Tuneup for all the tools you need to improve your social media presence.