A first of its kind, Instagram launches @music — a destination for everything, well, music related.

Instagram, that sly, time-hoarding phone application most of us use to kill a good few hours between meaningless spans of work and school, announced earlier today it was launching a new area inside of its photogenic realm titled @music — a go-to source for lovers of melody everywhere.

The internal account is a first of its kind for the company, which claims in its initial statement that it seeks to highlight everything in the music industry from musicians (both recognizable and up-and-coming), photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and “of course, fans.”

If the statement is true, the account could be a pertinent, eye-opening experience for everyone who feels artists such as Beyoncé and Calvin Harris don’t have an army behind them guiding the business into the mega-chaos it is. There are real people behind the artistry of each component of music, and highlighting those on a platform as massive as Instagram sounds — to us — like a really fucking cool idea.

We’d love to see banjo makers and professional flutists and the dude/dudette who graphic designs the shit out of some of these iconic album covers. Those people matter, and we hope Instagram keeps up with that type of ethos in the new account.

The chances of that being a constant on the channel, though, is probably shooting for the stars, as it will undoubtedly be used in the future to push the already overhyped mega-stars. Billboard reports “more than 25 percent of the app's top accounts are musicians, with Beyonce (30.9 million) the platform's No. 1 most-followed account, followed closely by the likes of Ariana Grande (30.1 million), Taylor Swift (28.3 million),Justin Bieber (26 million), Miley Cyrus (18.3 million) and Rihanna and Katy Perry (who each have 17.7 million apiece).”

Those artists — if the spot is successful — will predictably jump in line first for the visibility war. But we can always dream of something different … maybe?

As the company is owned and operated by Facebook, however, we’re not sure exactly where the turning point is going to be where it monetizes the thing, but as of yet it appears to be just an innocent way for the workers of Instagram to share their own experiences with music, which Kevin Systrom, Founder and CEO says is, “a passion of ours, and we know it’s a passion of yours.”

Likely this is a test to see what kind of response Instagram gets from the idea, because we can see this concept go to any other industry currently hot on the application. Fashion is a monstrously popular culture on the app, as is fast cars, pets, fitness … whatever. It could work anywhere.

But, as always, the real action is on The Rooster’s Instagram account. Follow us there and be sure to always tag us in your photos, because we’re narcissists, and love to see our name just about everywhere …

 

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