Facebook introduces music-ID, bites into Shazam/SoundHound’s lunch

facebook logo 280wFacebook has announced a new feature in upcoming app releases that works similarly to Shazam and SoundHound, identifying music playing in the user’s location, and including a 30-second clip in Facebook posts.

Defying its reputation for foisting new account settings on users by default, this new function reportedly needs to be activated before it springs into listening action. (We downloaded Facebook updates for iPad, iPod touch, and Android, but the new feature was not present in those versions, so could not be tested for this post. Facebook says the rollout will occur over a few weeks.)

The Music and TV Identification feature is always on, once turned on. This type of music-recognition is called “passive listening,” because it doesn’t need to be activated per-song. As described by Facebook spokespeople, an equalizer-like icon sits atop the page, animating when there is a song or TV show audible in the user’s environment. It alerts the user to what it has found (song or TV show), and offers to share the content in a Facebook update. Followers who see the update can listen to a song excerpt, thanks to agreements with Spotify and Rdio.

The idea makes sense for Facebook which is always trying to social sharing more detailed — with the business benefit of targeting ads more precisely. As a usability feature, Facebook is offering the convenience of music identification in the app that millions of people keep open all the time — obviating the need to open a dedicated music-ID app.

Shazam and SoundHound, market leaders for song recognition, are probably not over the moon about this incursion. But each of those apps maintains two important advantages. First, years of specialized product development with a many advanced features such as maps, singing into the app, lyrics, artist biographies, etc.. Second, audience build-up and attachment to the apps, locked in with search histories and tagged favorites.

If nothing else, Facebook’s entry into this space illuminates the increasing importance of music-recognition and song-identification in people’s digital lives. And, secondarily, the vulnerability of first-movers when huge competitors try to eat their lunch.

Brad Hill