YouTube has launched a beta version of its TikTok rival Shorts in the US, it has been announced.
The short-form video platform initially launched in beta form in India in September 2020 and is now beginning to expand its user-base across the world.
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The app will launch in the States today (March 18) and will roll out gradually over the coming weeks.
Like TikTok, Shorts will allow users to create short videos and pull from a library of songs to soundtrack them. Shorts boasts access to millions of songs from over 250 labels and publishing companies, including major labels like Universal, Sony and Warner, as well as independent companies like Beggars and Kobalt.
The new app will also incorporate audio from videos across YouTube, which the company says will open up “a new playground of creativity like never before”.
A Shorts area will appear on the YouTube homepage, while a Shorts tab is currently being tested on the mobile version of the site.
More new features could include the ability to find a full song or video by searching for it from a Short clip, a create button that would make turning full videos into Shorts easier and searching for other uses of tracks in Shorts.
In a statement, YouTube’s Global Head Of Music Lyor Cohen said: “YouTube has helped artists from all generations showcase their catalogue of work for music fans around the world. YouTube Shorts is the next big frontier of a fast-growing platform that is centred on connecting artists and fans, around the love of music.
