Facebook adds "Listen With Friends" social music service
Facebook have announced a new social music feature, rolling out across their network today, called “Listen With Friends”.
Music fans on Facebook will now be able to see what their pals are listening to from within the Facebook Chat pane, and jump into playback of a track at the very same point their friends are listening to. Up to 50 people can listen at once, which then opens a group chat window where they can discuss the music being played.
“You can listen to the same song, at the exact same time–so when your favorite vocal part comes in you can experience it together, just like when you’re jamming out at a performance or dance club,” said Facebook product designer Alexandre Roche on the Facebook blog.
You’ll be able to identify who is listening to music by a small musical note icon that pops up next to their name. However, the service is currently limited to songs being played through Facebook partners Spotify and Rdio. While more services are set to be added, you’ll likely be out of luck if you’re playing locally stored files through a platform like iTunes.
The service should be rolling out to all users today, so keep an eye open for it when you’re browsing the network.
