The buzz on Wednesday this week was that Spotify, a music streaming service, was making an appearance via Facebook. Forbes initially reported that the service would debut as a Facebook app, either dubbed “Facebook Music” or “Spotify for Facebook” but only in countries where Spotify is available. The U.S., of course, was not included.
Spotify told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday that there as of yet is no fixed timeline for a U.S. launch, although negotiations are continuing and the ambition is to launch the service in the country “as soon as possible.”
The statement comes in response to media reports that Internet entrepreneur Sean Parker, voiced hopes that Spotify would launch in the U.S. this summer.
Not only is Mark Zuckerberg a big fan of Spotify, Facebook’s first president and early Napster employee, Sean Parker, sits on Spotify’s board, while the two companies also share investors.
Spotify started out in 2006 as a way to listen to music online, it has grown considerably since then, most recently in 2010 when it added a social networking feature powered by – you guessed it – Facebook.
Sean Parker is only an investor and it was clarified that while he is entitled to his opinion, he is not an official spokesperson for the company, nor is his role operational.
Regarding the report Wednesday by Forbes that Facebook and Spotify are collaborating on a streaming music service, Jim Butcher, Spotify press spokesperson, said Spotify never comments on rumors or speculation.
Forbes claims that Facebook users will see a Spotify icon on the left-hand side of their newsfeed. “Clicking on the Spotify icon will install the service on their desktop in the background, and also allow users play from Spotify’s library of millions of songs through Facebook. The service will include a function that lets Facebook users listen to music simultaneously with their friends over the social network”.
Spotify begs to differ on the report, however.
“We have a good relationship with Facebook in that we have an integration on Facebook Platform that has been valuable in terms of driving engagement with the Spotify service,” he said, adding that Spotify welcomes relationships with “any company looking to innovate by building more social value into the user experience.”
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Michelle Amodio is a TechZone360 contributor. She has helped promote companies and groups in all industries, from technology to banking to professional roller derby. She holds a bachelor's degree in Writing from Endicott College and currently works in marketing, journalism, and public relations as a freelancer.Edited by
Jennifer Russell