Snapchat introduces grants to support emerging independent artists

Snapchat has launched a Sounds Creator Fund which provides grants to independent artists with popular sounds on the app. They will provide monthly grants up to $100,000 to the top creators who distribute their music on Snapchat via Distrokid.

Following the explosion of TikTok, many apps have been moving in the direction of short videos with useable sounds that emphasise virality. Snapchat added a "Spotlight" page in November of 2020, comparable to TikTok's "For You Page" and Instagram's "Reels." It allows users to discover videos and sounds as well as make their own.

Much of content creation is driven by sounds and songs that can be used to create trends and viral content. TikTok has a Creator Fund, which allows popular creators to receive compensation based on the engagement with their posts. Snapchat is taking a different approach, by specifically supporting independent artists whose sounds are used most on the app.

"We want to support the independent and emerging artists that are driving creation on Snapchat. By providing meaningful funding and creative support, our goal is for artists to feel empowered to continue creating and pursue a career in music," the Global Head of Music Partnerships at Snapchat explains.

To receive funding, the artists must be unsigned to a label, based in the US, be more than 16 years old, and have parental consent. Snapchat has yet to extend this fund to creators outside of the US. The TikTok creator fund is also not available in many countries, including Ireland.

Instagram has yet to be transparent about who can receive funding from posting reels.