It was only a matter of time before Mark Zuckerberg launched a rival to Clubhouse, and probably not long till Jeff Bezos jumps on the hype too. Facebook have announced their launch of a series of audio features, including Live Audio Rooms, as a competitor to Clubhouse.
Live Audio Rooms will be trialled in Groups and will be a space for creators and communities, alongside celebrities who will host discussions with other public figures. American football star Russell Wilson, Grammy-nominee Tokimonsta and Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin are a few leaked names that are said to be onboard.
To monetise the feature, members will be able to support creators through Stars or donate to causes they care about. There are also plans to offer a subscription service or an option to charge to Live Audio Room on a single buy.
Facebook is simultaneously launching other audio features like Soundbites, an audio creation tool, and the ability to listen to podcasts on the Facebook app. Fidji Simo, the head of the Facebook App, commented: “Audio seamlessly fits within our busy lives, allows us to be inspired by new ideas, and talk with other like-minded people without pressure”. She continued by explaining the social aspect of the Audio, “At Facebook, we’ve seen the continuing rise of audio on our platforms, from audio calls to audio messages on WhatsApp and Messenger. We’re working to make audio messages easier to record, and more fun – including the ability for people to send familiar sound clips to their friends that range from sound effects like crickets chirping to quotes from popular songs. But we know there are more social experiences to create to help people say what they want to say, discover new voices they haven’t heard before, or exchange ideas at the speed of sound.”