Facebook just announced some new music and video initiatives at SXSW

Facebook has unveiled new ways to share music on its platform at SXSW.

Users from 40 countries – including Australia –  can now add music when sharing videos.

Via a song on a user’s profile,  a song can be tapped through to Spotify, “so people can listen to the full song and discover more from that artist,” said Tamara Hrivnak, head of music business development & partnerships.

“We’ll be adding other partners in the near future as well.”

This is Facebook’s latest feature for users to connect with others and express themselves, following features like Lip Sync Live, music stickers in Stories on Facebook and Instagram and the ability for people to add songs to their Facebook profile.

In the meantime, Paresh Rajwat, head of video products, provided an update on the video side of things.

From May there will be over 20 new episodes of Red Table Talk, the Facebook Watch forum series with Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and mother Adrienne.

https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/416230735613094/

They have candid conversations about issues like addiction, loss, domestic violence, race relations and more,

Adds Rajwat, they struck a chord by “sharing their truths and involving their audience along the way.

“This culminated with the recent episode featuring Jordyn Woods, which broke records as the most-viewed Facebook Original episode in the first 24 hours — 7.5 million people watched for more than one minute on that first day, with more than 800,000 interactions (likes, comments, reactions, shares) in just the first 72 hours.”

Other adds to Facebook Watch are Will Smith’s Bucket List, SKAM Austin Season 2 and community voting elements for MTV’s The Real World.

Facebook is also introducing a new Watch Party experience, called Watch Parties where users can come together to talk about events and TV moments that excite them, in real time.

These will be tested globally at sports events as UEFA Champions League soccer matches.