Quick Take: Facebook Music Stories

Facebook launched ‘Music Stories’ for iPhone users who use Spotify or Apple Music with more hardware and listening options to follow. Music Stories let’s you share 30 second music snippets from Spotify and Apple Music.

In the world of social media Facebook already dominates photography and is making significant moves into video. One content format it has yet to tackle is music. This is understandably lower on the priority ladder, given that music is relatively niche against photography and videos on social media. However, music can truly expand the experience of a ‘digital content life companion platform’, Facebook is trying to become. Facebook wants to be the conduit for your digital life, from personal content to mainstream media. In effect Facebook is becoming a 21st century portal, but unlike those 20th century equivalents AOL, Yahoo and MSN, Facebook doesn’t bog itself down with paying for expensive content licenses.

Music Stories is a typically Facebook content move. Firstly, Facebook doesn’t have to deal with licensing as it merely shares Apple Music and Spotify previews. Secondly it is all about using music to enhance the story telling of its users. Facebook knows there is limited value in it simply becoming another music utility. But adding context to social story telling with music is another thing entirely.

Apple solved music hardware, Spotify and YouTube solved access, Amazon sold a lot of physical music products and thus helped prolong the life of a CD in the digital era. Facebook’s music sharing functionality is well positioned to help create its own angle heavily embedded in social context.