Facebook wants our religious views. Our hometowns, the languages we know. It wants our relationship statuses, our favorite movies — and now it wants our soundtracks. With the September integration of Facebook and music streaming services like Spotify, Mog, Rdio and Slacker, music streaming has gone social. And I can’t help but feel a little defensive.
Music, for me, is personal. For listening, not broadcasting. For collecting, not advertising. To its credit, Spotify has revolutionized word of mouth. The verbal has gone viral. I don’t need to run into you to hear what you’re listening to.
But there is something artificial about it. Facebook feeds show friends playing songs. But if not for the social component, would these songs be played? The integration of Facebook and Spotify has inserted a subconscious censorship to the listening process.
At the end of the day, Spotify itself interests me more than the 65 songs you played on it. I’m into the service. More access to more music, for free. Now, Spotify’s streaming services are available on another website. So go ahead, stream on Facebook. Stream everywhere. In that sense, Spotify is spot on.
