Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is working together with former Beatles member Paul McCartney on a new project it calls “Mojis”, or GIFs with sound. The latest set of Mojis for Skype were created by McCartney.
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The Mojis are drawn similar to Skype emojis. They have a set of sound as well as music clips composed and recorded by McCartney. There is now a small selection of Mojis on Skype with a characteristically Beatles sound. There are only ten clips to work with for now, but Microsoft hopes that the initial association will lead to future collaboration with more musicians and possibly with McCartney again.
With messaging platforms featuring GIFs on a larger scale, it’s interesting to see Skype attempting animated expression. Microsoft says it has seen fast adoption of the features by its users and is committed to keep adding clips from quality content creators.
The new mojis are aimed for Valentine’s day, all with a love theme. McCartney produced the sound and Microsoft teams programmed the animations for the project. It is difficult to determine whether the project can be effectively monetized, however the company is trying an angle that others presently aren’t.
In an official blog post, Skype said that they had paired innovative Skype designs with unique musical creations from Paul to let users send fun digital gifts to family and friends around the world. This is not the first time that McCartney has participated in messaging customization. He collaborated with messaging app Line in April 2015 on a number of “sound stickers” that could be downloaded and utilized in conversations.
Skype first debuted partner-driven custom emojis in September 2015. It introduced about 150 video clips as well as animation choices from Disney, BBC and Universal Studios. In October, it introduced clips from popular movies and TV shows as well.