Instagram Is Launching a Music Channel

The music community is –– and always has been –– an important part of Instagram. For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small –– a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans. Today we’re launching @music, a new account dedicated to exploring music around the globe, from those who create it to the community around it. Each week, we’ll take a look at the musical experience on Instagram. That means showing you a different side of artists you know and love, like Questlove (@questlove), and introducing you to up-and-coming talents from around the world, like Tricot (@ikkyu193). It means highlighting music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and, of course, fans. In the Instagram tradition, we will also welcome community participation with a new, music-themed monthly hashtag project. Music is a huge part of all of our lives here at Instagram. It’s a passion of ours, and we know it’s a passion of yours. So follow along at @music –– we think you’ll discover something new. -- Kevin Systrom, Founder and CEO Art by @jaredeberhardt
A photo posted by Instagram @music (@music) on Apr 29, 2015 at 5:57am PDT

"The music community is--and always has been--an important part of Instagram." Today (April 29), the photo-sharing app announced @music, a new Instagram-based music channel. According to early reports from Billboard, there will be posts including anecdotes and original music from artists and groups six days per week (Tuesday through Sunday). It will also sport 11 different series, though it is unclear at press time what exactly those will entail. ?uestlove is the first artist to be featured on the site, explaining to the site's 300-million plus users the evolution of his attitude toward DJing.

When it comes to music, Roots drummer and “Tonight Show” bandleader Questlove (@questlove) is all about the highs and lows. Take DJing, for instance. Give the crowd too many hits and you’ll numb them into the ground; too many non-jams and you’ll drive them off the dance floor. “When I first started, I was just desperate,” he says about the lack of pacing in his shows. “I was like, this is a hit, this is a hit, this is a hit. And you get addicted to the adrenaline rush of, ‘OH MY GOD THIS IS MY SONG.’ You kill them so much. I realized that now I am more obsessed with the opposite. I will put a bad song on and actually watch them filter out the floor. And I will wait two minutes [then play] ‘Uptown Funk’ –– ‘OH MY GOD IT’S MY SONG’ –– and then the scream is bigger than before. –Instagram @music Photo by @questlove
A photo posted by Instagram @music (@music) on Apr 29, 2015 at 6:22am PDT

Since 2010, Ikkyu Nakajima (@ikkyu193), Motoko “Motifour” Kida and Hiromi “Hirohiro” Sagane have been on a journey with no destination — an endless road trip of instant ramen, rock climbing walls and fake mustaches. The girls make up the band Tricot (pronounced “tree-ko,” after the French word for a type of knitting), a math rock trio based in Kyoto with a penchant for emotional vocals layered over complex guitar riffs. “When we first started Tricot we thought that we wanted to be signed to a big record label but we don't think it's cool at all,” says Nakajima, who plays guitar and sings. “The way we’re doing things at the moment, we have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next — and that’s precisely why we want to do it this way.” –– Mike Sunda for Instagram @music Photo by @ikkyu193
A photo posted by Instagram @music (@music) on Apr 29, 2015 at 11:34am PDT

Filed Under: Instagram, Questlove

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