Apps, Mobile & SMS

F8 Keynote: Music & Media Apps Dominate New Facebook Timeline

image from profile.ak.fbcdn.net (UPDATED) Despite the leaks and rumors, I in no way expected what I saw in Facebook's F8 Keynote presentation today. They are taking their game to a whole new level fueled, in part, by music and media apps. I'm going to summarize things as best I can focused on music before checking out the 3:30 PM EST presentation on The Future of Digital Music and summarizing that.

A SUMMARY OF MUSIC ON FACEBOOK:

Some fun things with Andy Samberg kicking things off with a somewhat humorous presentation that led into the now media-friendly Mark Zuckerberg show. His media training has really paid off and the whole presentation was quite impressive.

A huge new feature is called Timeline which will allow for a form of digital scrapbooking of memories that seems quite powerful. However, this feature will also include embeddable apps from media companies, including music, that will allow for discovering media through what your friends are currently enjoying or have enjoyed in the past.

Spotify was used as an example of a music app that can be added to your Timeline including the ability to "listen with a friend". Basically, they're listening to something, click, you're listening along with them.

A huge emphasis is being put on music/media discovery as a way for fans to find new artists which is expected to lead to more sales so that the industry benefits as well.

Spotify CEO and Founder Daniel Ek discussed the Spotify app including the fact that it will be free. I think all these apps are designed to be free. He also said that Facebook users on Spotify listen to more music, both in quantity and breadth, and buy more music. So sales figures on the new Facebook will be interesting if they release them.

Timeline is rolling out over the next few weeks and media apps are said to be available "now" though I don't see signs of them yet.

Music partners at launch include:

  • TuneIn
  • iHeartRadio
  • AudioVroom
  • Earbits
  • Deezer
  • Spotify
  • Rdio
  • Slacker
  • MixCloud
  • Turntable.fm
  • MOG
  • Rhapsody
  • Songza
  • SoundCloud
  • Jelli

But other media industry partners include a number with connections to the music industry.

Netflix was featured in the movie/tv apps discussion but Pitchfork showed up on the list. I'm assuming that's Pitchfork.tv.

Vice and Mashable were included in the news partners list.

I spaced out during the brief Games presentation. I think it was the shortest because they already have games as a big part of Facebook.

They also introduced the concept of Lifestyle Apps which can be related to anything anybody does. They're like apps people use to document their daily runs or their cooking and so forth. However, Metacafe was on the list of Lifestyle App partners as were the following ticket companies:

  • Eventbrite
  • Ticketfly
  • Ticketmaster
  • Stubhub
  • ScoreBig.com

DailyMotion showed up on one of the lists and I've also been informed that VEVO is included which ups the music video ante.

There was no Facebook Music service per se. Music is more an integrated part of the platform through these new apps.

There was a whole lot more and I'm leaving some big gaps but those are the main ways music will be part of the new Facebook that I got. Music was also part of the presentation with T-Pain's vocals on All I Do Is Win opening and closing the show and brief audio clips of Jay-Z, Nirvana and Kanye West.

Now for the panel on The Future of Digital Music.

Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. He blogs about web business models at Flux Research and the world of dance at All World Dance. To suggest music services and related topics for review at Hypebot, please contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

Guest Post on 09/22/2011 in Apps, Mobile & SMS | Permalink | Comments (10)
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  4. Thanks y’all. The slide was up too briefly for me. I need a streaming image capture or something.
    Note – looks like Bruce updated the headline to include media apps but I really feel that music apps dominate across the board due to their appearance in one form or another across media categories. So, yes, media apps are big but this feels fueled by music just as almost all new media and communication technologies tend to be when they’re first being introduced. As was mobile, for example.

  5. I like the fact that rather than launching a music service, Facebook launched a huge range of music partnerships. It seems more appropriate to the nature of the web even within their walled garden.

  6. Oh I’ve so had it with online social networks. In the past, people said “get a life” to folks like me who just hung out online and did no go out. Now I’ve gotten a life and people keep asking me if I have a facebook. It’s kind of ironic since I’ve basically been there, done that, just on a much smaller scale than facebook is now.
    The longer the online community existed which I was in, the more idiots and trolls were there. They never knew me because I was always just a nickname. But with facebbook’s quest for real names, its trolls know your real name. Yes, you also know theirs but can that stop them?
    And with your real name on facebook, your boss will always know about your favourite “waste of time”. And your potential employer can spy on you. Yet, that’s none of their business of course.
    Oh, and besides, there is too much monopolism going on in the IT world even without counting facebook.
    And now, it’s eating its users’ biographies.
    I hope this fad will soon be over, just like myspace is.

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