Soundrop has made quite an impact on Spotify, offering an array of listening ‘rooms’ where users can suggest and upvote tracks from a specific music genre – however, today the service has gone one step further by launching a similar experience on Facebook.
Soundrop rooms can now be embedded directly on an artists’ Facebook page, offering identical functionality to the Spotify app and Web player (currently in beta). Users can listen to the current song being played, vote on suggested tracks and chat with other listeners in real-time. It’s all found in the app button located just underneath the artist’s cover photo.
The integration also means that both platforms are synchronized, so what one person can see or hear on Facebook is mirrored in the corresponding Spotify room. For example, if someone upvotes a track on Facebook, the playlist instantly changes for those listening on Spotify or through the Web player. Everyone is getting the same service.
A number of artists have already signed-up to embed a Soundrop room on their Facebook page, including Owl City, Hot Chip, Public Enemy, MC Lars and ABBA.
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The music playback on the Facebook side is handled by VEVO and YouTube, displaying the relevant music video in the top right-hand corner above the chat window. While it’s nice to be able to watch these when you’re browsing the room and upcoming playlist, the dip in audio quality might irk some audiophiles.
In our tests, we also noticed some issues with the videos being displayed on Facebook – on a couple of different artists’ page there was repeated pixels on both the left and right-hand edges.
Soundrop’s integration with Facebook will be welcomed by music artists looking to build a loyal fanbase or find a better way of connecting with their listeners. Soundrop rooms offer a dedicated place for fans to come together and discuss the artist in great detail. The inclusion of live music, almost like a jukebox, is also a great way of stimulating debate.
Although the app itself is unlikely to earn the artist much in the way of royalties, it will undoubtedly help to create more passionate fans, who in turn will be more likely to buy records or attend concerts.
So it’s a win for artists and a win for music enthusiasts. Facebook, on the other hand, obviously has some new functionality courtesy of the integration, thereby improving the value of the social network and also keeping users from clicking elsewhere.
Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Soundrop is clearly looking to expand and improving its presence outside of Spotify. The company relaunched its Spotify app in October, adding a new front lobby and room design. It was a welcome improvement, and one that still permeates all of the app to this day.
Image Credit: zachheller/Flickr
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