On Thursday, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) announced its new Music Stories feature. This update consists of a posting format that allows users to share 30-second previews of any song from either Apple Music or Spotify directly into their Facebook news feeds on the iOS app.
Posting a Music Story is as simple as copying the link of the song of choice from the preferred streaming service and pasting it into Facebook’s status bar. This will automatically generate a mini music player widget that users can share in their page.
The feature also allows comments, likes, shares and all the functions a regular post has. Additionally, it offers a link to the full track on Apple Music or Spotify, where the person has the option to purchase a digital copy of the album and add it to their music library.
“There are few things people love more than music. People find out about it from artists and friends alike, and they love to share their discoveries. Today we are enabling better music discovery and sharing on Facebook,” writes the company’s Director of Product, Michael Cerda, on the official Facebook blog.
There is no confirmation of a future Android version yet. However, Cerda stated that the company plans to broaden its new Music Stories feature to support other music streaming services besides Apple Music and Spotify. YouTube, SoundCloud, Tidal, Google Play Music and Rdio are some of the sites users expect to be included though the spokesman didn’t mention any specific name.
Apple’s partnership with Facebook could be a sign that the company is starting to open up more to online formats, even letting some web pages post Apple Music embeds that allow users to listen to songs without having to purchase a subscription or download iTunes.
The social networking site had always been more focused in instant articles and video, with its own fast-loading video player and the possibility of posting clips from YouTube. This is the first time the company offers a service that is solely invested in music, which users can enjoy instantly while browsing the app.
If the Music Stories feature becomes successful, it could add up another milestone to Facebook’s notoriety between other social networking sites — as well as engrossing Apple’s already large profit on the market.
According to Cerda, the company hopes that by enhancing the musical experience, artists and users will share and engage more on the network, and music will become a better part of the Facebook experience.
Source: The Wall Street Journal.