Meta, the parent company of Instagram, and Spotify are reportedly testing a new music integration feature for Instagram’s Notes. The feature would allow users to continuously share the music they’re listening to on Spotify directly through Instagram. This development builds upon Instagram’s existing capability to share 30-second song clips to Notes, which was introduced last year. By partnering with Spotify, Instagram aims to automate song postings and provide users with a seamless experience when sharing their music preferences.
The potential integration between Meta and Spotify is reminiscent of Spotify’s existing social networking features within its own app. Currently, Spotify users can connect with Facebook to see what their friends are streaming. Spotify has also experimented with a Community feature that lets users see in real-time what others are listening to on mobile. However, this feature has yet to be officially launched. While Spotify continues to enhance its social features, the company understands that dedicated social networking apps are still popular for music discovery due to their established friend networks and regular engagement.
There have been previous indications of a potential collaboration between Meta and Spotify. Chris Messina, a technologist, noticed that Instagram had added a “SpotifyiOS.framework” component to its app, suggesting that this integration could have occurred around a month ago. Messina also speculated that Instagram’s ability to add music to user profiles could eventually be integrated with Spotify, enabling it to compete more effectively with TikTok in terms of music discovery. Meta and Spotify have previously collaborated on music initiatives, such as the inclusion of a miniplayer on Facebook that streams Spotify directly from the app.
One possible motivation for this partnership is the shared rivalry between Spotify, Meta, and Apple. Both Spotify and Meta believe that Apple’s monopoly over the App Store limits their autonomy over in-app payments and app distribution. They are required to share their app revenue with Apple through commissions on in-app purchases. Additionally, Apple’s introduction of the app tracking transparency (ATT) feature has negatively impacted Meta’s advertising business. On top of these concerns, Apple Music directly competes with Spotify, further intensifying the competition between the two tech giants.
It remains to be seen whether the music integration feature will be rolled out to the public, as companies frequently test new concepts that may not always be launched. However, the potential partnership between Meta and Spotify opens up exciting possibilities for seamless music sharing and discovery on Instagram. By leveraging Spotify’s extensive music catalog and Instagram’s vast user base, users could have a more integrated and personalized music experience within the app. As social media platforms continue to expand their offerings, such collaborations highlight the importance of music in enhancing user engagement and fostering a sense of community.
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