At first glance, Facebook’s music integration seems like a great tool for both fans and musicians to share and expose music with one another. However, though it’s not even a month old, the integration with services like Spotify, iHeartRadio, Rhapsody, and others is already showing small flaws. We’ve already highlighted how users tend to get a little self-conscious when sharing music, but not there seems to be a problem with artists not getting enough exposure.
Josh Constine of InsideFacebook.com recently discovered that though certain artists may be getting more “listens,” they are not receiving more “likes” through the service. According to Constine, the top 20 musicians on Facebook and a dozen other smaller artists they analyzed (including Linkin Park) have seen barely any increase in “likes” since the music partnerships launch. In other words, bands haven’t gained more fans from Facebook’s integration.
Granted, the integration hasn’t been in action that long. However, Constine points out that one way to fix this flaw is to incorporate a “Like” button to the listening activity posts (rather than having to click on the artist’s name or hover over the post). It’s a simple addition, but could also better ensure that listeners at least visit the Facebook pages, which bands use to promote tours and merchandise (the real money makers for musicians, or at least more than what they make per stream).
So as you can see, the Facebook music integration has a few minor hiccups. How Facebook will go about to fix such issues (if they choose to at all), though, is left to be seen.
[via Digital Music News]
