Musical.ly is actually a Chinese video social network application for video creation and live broadcasting. The very first prototype was launched in April 2014, and the official version was launched in August of that year. With the application, users can make 15-second to one minute videos and select sound tracks to accompany them, use diverse speed options (time-lapse, fast, normal, slow motion, and epic) and add pre-set filters and effects. The application also allows users to browse popular “musers,” content, trending songs and sounds and hashtags.
Musical.ly Inc. was founded by longtime friends Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang. Before launching musical.ly, Zhu and Yang teamed up to build an education social network app, through which users could both teach and learn different subjects through short-form videos (3-5 minutes long). After you have investors fund this venture, it took them about half a year to develop the item. However, once launched, this online self-learning platform failed to get enough traction and the content produced was not engaging enough. With a few money left from the original investment for this particular failed venture, Zhu and Yang started to look for new ideas. They decided to shift their focus for the entertainment industry, targeting the usa teenage market, since this industry is characterized for being an earlier adopter of brand new trends. The primary idea was to make a platform that incorporates music and video in a social media. The first version of musical.ly was officially launched in August 2014.
In 2015, the app started to attract millions of users and in July 2015, musical.ly climbed up to the amount 1 position in the iOS App Store, becoming the most-downloaded free app in over 30 countries, like the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Brazil, Philippines, and Japan. In July 2016, musical.ly reached 90 million downloads, with over 12 million new videos posted every single day.
In June 2016, Coca-Cola launched its #ShareACoke campaign on musical.ly, which introduced musical.ly’s “User-Generated Ads” model. On July 24, 2016, during VidCon, musical.ly officially launched live.ly, its new live video streaming platform. Even if this was supposed to have been a soft launch, as no additional marketing have been accomplished for this cool product, live.ly climbed approximately the number one position inside the iOS App Store within 3 days. On November 9, 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musical.ly Inc had decided to be acquired by Bytedance Technology Co. for just as much as US $1 billion. Bytedance operates the program Toutiao. Recode estimated that the sale would be for around US$800 million.
Musical.ly users can record 15-second to 1-minute videos in a single or multiple shots; after the recording has become made, it may be paired with songs and sounds. The platform also enables editing, through 14 pre-set filters jrurxl effects that allow to change the rate or reverse the motion of the recording. Additionally, musical.ly also has a characteristic to create shorter videos, named “live moments,” which are essentially GIFs with music.
Users about this platform can “remuse” (reuse) sounds created by other users, which instills a whole new level of engagement using the content. Other methods users can interact with each other is via features including “Ask a matter” and “Duet“. With this regard, musical.ly has an option called “Best Fan Forever,” through which musers can make Musically Followers For Free who are able to participate in duets with them.
Users can also send private messages to their friends using the direct.ly feature. Musical.ly’s structure allows the viral dissemination of trends through the entire platform. The hashtags which are popular on this social media usually make reference to pieces of pop culture and trends one of the internet world. Due to its massive usage, a lot of events launched in the app could become viral global events, especially among teenagers. One of the most notable campaigns launched by musical.ly was the “Don’t Judge Challenge,” which became huge inside the platform, as an incredible number of teenagers around the world participated.
