Rumor Fact(ory): Facebook may be testing the music industry waters

Facebook has allegedly had early discussions about working with the major music labels. According to a report by The Verge, the social network has expressed an interest in getting involved with the music industry, but it is still unsure what form that interest might take. It has reportedly spoken with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Facebook has not made any comment on these talks yet.

Facebook has worked closely with Spotify in the past, and it’s possible that working directly with the labels would give the social network access to using recordings instead of just embedding an existing API. It could signal that the company wants to get involved with a new streaming property. Or maybe it wants an audio feature similar to the auto-playing videos it already displays in the news feed. Whatever Facebook’s vision might be, we can safely guess that it will be focused on getting members to spend more time on the platform and interact with more content.