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Discord launches new Clubhouse-style feature, Slack to follow

Discord was recently updated with features similar to the popular Clubhouse app, and Slack's CEO has signaled that it will soon do the same.

TJ Denzer

March 31, 2021 1:13 PM

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Back in April 2020, Clubhouse was launched as an iOS app in which users could host invitation-only live audience audio events. It has become popular as a premium event, press conference, and mass-presentation service platform. It's so popular, in fact, that other major social platforms are eyeing what makes it work and adapting its features into their own programs. Discord has officially launched a feature similar to Clubhouse’s offerings, and Slack also announced that it will be developing and launching a similar feature soon.

Discord released a special update for its app including its take on Clubhouse-style features on March 31, 2021, as reported by Reuters. The new feature, called “Stage Channels” allows users to more easily manage live audience audio events which can be broadcast to up to 1,000 attendants. Reportedly, the goal is to help Discord communities build engagement. This also comes ahead of Discord’s supposed upcoming deal with Microsoft in which the former could be acquired for around $10 billion.

new type of voice channel just dropped.

stage channels gives community servers better controls for audio-only events where some people can talk and others can listen as the audience. pic.twitter.com/NWUApOruxr

— Discord (@discord) March 31, 2021

That wasn’t all. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield also signaled that the business organization and social platform has plans to build Clubhouse features into the app. Perhaps more flippantly, Butterfield apparently made this announcement while attending a Clubhouse event in which Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison was also apparently a participant, according business and tech outlet The Hustle.

Slack's CEO Stewart Butterfield made a huge announcement:

- On Clubhouse
- About building their own Clubhouse into Slack
- While Clubhouse's CEO was also a speaker

DAMN.

This is exactly what was said while Clubhouse's CEO raged while on mute: pic.twitter.com/DQxF9hLkwE

— The Hustle (@TheHustle) March 30, 2021

With both Discord and Slack aiming to integrate the features that make Clubhouse unique into both their prominent services, it could signal difficult times ahead for Clubhouse. On the flipside, it also makes the first two apps all the more versatile and, as social platforms built for a variety of uses, it seems unclear what would stop Discord and Slack from expanding their technology and features to be used in such a way.

Discord’s Clubhouse-style features are available now. With Slack’s on the way in the near future, stay tuned for further updates and information, including responses from Clubhouse on this particular matter, as they become available.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.