Facebook reported to be launching music service

News agency Reuters has reported that Facebook is set to launch a music streaming service. The move is widely believed to be an attempt to get users to spend more on the social network.

According to “people familiar the matter”, the new service will allow users to listen to music on Facebook using the social network as a platform. The actual streaming of the music, however, will be the responsibility of established services like Spotify, MOG, Rhapsody, Slacker and Rdio.

Giving them access to the Facebook’s 750-million users, the alliance could be a major boom to these music streaming services. It is also expected to give them an edge in their competition with Apple’s behemoth iTunes, which is set to be launching its own streaming music service.

The launch would also appear to be a clear reply, by Facebook, to Google — in the ongoing battle between the two for dominance of the internet — which launched a streaming music service in May.

The service is expected to be revealed at Facebook’s developer conference in September.

Reuters’ source, said that the service’s goal was to “create a connective tissue for fans”.

After software developer and researcher Jeff Rose discovered evidence of a “Vibes” programme in the coding for the then new Facebook video chat service in July, rumours have abounded that Facebook was launching a music service.

Prior to that, a Forbes blog had reported that Facebook was looking to launch a music service in conjunction with Spotify.

If released, this music service would add further credence to analyst opinions that Facebook is looking to become an online media hub, rather than a mere social network.

When reached for comment about the report, a Facebook spokesperson said, “There’s nothing new to announce”.