Facebook is deepening its relationship with music company Spotify and will allow users to listen to music hosted on Spotify while browsing its apps as part of a new initiative called “Project Boombox,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Monday.
Facebook builds an online audio player that will allow users to listen to songs or playlists that are shared on platforms without being externally connected to the Spotify application or website. Zuckerberg highlighted this feature as another product designed to enhance the experience of creators on its platforms, especially the ability of musicians to share their work, “making audio virtually a kind of first-class medium,” he said.
From sources familiar with the integration of Spotify we understand that this player will support both music and podcasts. It has already been tested in markets outside the US, including Mexico and Thailand, and is expected to arrive in about a week.
The news was revealed in an extensive interview with reporter Casey Newton about the company’s future pursuits in the audio world, as Facebook aims to keep up with advanced efforts such as Clubhouse and increased activity in the world of podcasts.
“We believe that sound will be a first-class environment and that there are all these different products that need to be built across the spectrum,” Zuckerberg said. “Of course, it includes some areas that were, you know, popular recently, like podcasting and some kind of live audio camera like this, but I also think there are some interesting things that are under-explored in the area. in general.”
Spotify has already maintained a fairly productive relationship with the Facebook and Instagram platforms. In recent years, the music and podcast platform has been more deeply integrated into Instagram Stories, where users can share content from the service, a feature also available in Facebook Stories.