Will Apple take-over the music social networks?
Music based social networking is not a new thing, and as Apple dip their toes in the water with their new service ‘Ping’ there will be a few companies that are beginning to sweat.
Although Steve Job’s described the new service as “sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes” at the launch event in San Fransico yesterday, it is more likely to be the smaller niche networks rather than the ‘big two’ that will be at risk of extinction as iTunes 10 with its 150 million odd active users joins the social networking revolution.
Ping promises to allow its users to ‘follow’ and ‘be followed’ by friends and associates, but instead of encouraging general chit-chat and social interaction, it will be completely focused on music. Users will be able to share their listening habits with others by Ping’s ability to observe what you buy and listen to on iTunes (both on your computer and portable devices) and will deliver bespoke charts and musical newsfeeds to your friends. It will do the recommending for you, and it will deliver a one stop shop (iTunes) which you’ll already be logged into to, to buy the music that you see.
And that’s the real beauty of Apple’s new product, they don’t need to build it from scratch – they already have 150 million active iTunes users with their credit card numbers in play. It’s a massive instant network of people, so their service will work from day one … and people aren’t going to stop using iTunes because of it, it can only encourage new users into the already enormous pool of music fans.
So who’s in the firing line from this service?
Myspace has been declining in its popularity for many years, primarily due to the rise of Facebook and Twitter, but one core element remains – new music. The Myspace platform is still well used by up and coming musicians to showcase their musical talents, but if artists want to make money from their tunes, they have to direct customers to a third party to download the music. With the bar set lower than ever to get your band’s music on iTunes, surely the natural and lucrative home for new music would be on Ping, where new musicians can ‘chart’ alongside existing acts in a meritocracy of plays and sales? So where does that leave Myspace … er, in trouble.
Is the revolution over?
Similar panic will be running through the boardroom at Last.fm, an innovative and popular music social network that delivers the user music through a ‘virtual radio station’ that is tailored to their tastes. Using its audiscrobbler facility, the service can calculate your tastes and make informed recommendations to your friends … but with Ping’s ability to do the same, and everyone already using iTunes to sync their iPods and iPhones, are people going to remain loyal to one of the trailblazers of this technique?
Spotify have a slightly different business model. They deliver ad supported and subscription based music, not exactly what Ping does, but in an already competitive market place, the ability to listen to longer samples on iTunes, cheaper tracks and the added lure of ‘intuitive’ recommendations will surely encroach on the company’s market position. Ping won’t kill off Spotify, but it could certainly give it a nasty whack over the head which will require some serious treatment if they are going to continue.
So, it’s turbulent times in this sector, and once again, Apple look like they might have reinvented the wheel, and stuck their logo on it.
Facebook and Twitter will be fine, and Myspace with its big backing could still find another way of existing … but it will be the pure musical social networks, the likes of last.fm, blip.fm and Rdio that will suffer the most as their raison d’être is squashed by the San Fransico Apple machine.
Let’s face it, these guys will still be handing out flyers in the street and pointing you in the direction of the music shop, whilst Ping will be telling you what’s hot and what’s not in the comfort of plush record store with leather armchairs, where everything’s for sale.
For better or for worse, I know where I’d rather be.
I love Lastfm and will stick by it – it has recorded my listening habits for the last 4 years so why would I leave all that behind?
Besides, Apple are not cool or innovative at all anymore, it’s a shame but their ‘walled garden’ approach has turned me away from them.
The Only thing I used to love more than my Apple technology the last 30 years was my music. For the first few years Last.fm was called “A-S” for Audioscrobler. For the first few years the ability to catalog our listening and compare that with others was the main point of our thing. The streaming music and fake radio station posturing came later and we didn’t get to vote on that. What we are is a real social-network with an incredible amount of content created by by us- and things aranged to be the best for the users, not the advertisers or CBS nor even for the Artists. If somebody wants to buy last.fm just to shut it down: how could we stop it?
I don’t believe last.fm will die. As people have mentioned, users are dedicated. Not all users of last.FM use iTunes myself includes. I don’t even use an iPod. Most last.fm users listen to lesser known music that ping can’t even figure out what to really recommend. Sure the iTunes users who aren’t users of last.fm will try it out but I doubt it will last.
Last.fm won’t be too worried if this is Apple’s idea of social music. Why didn’t Apple buy Last.fm when it had the chance?
As Lisa, says Last.fm users are very loyal and it has built up a really strong community that will be hard for Ping to replace.
Last.fm users can also stream songs for free through Last.fm radio, playing the songlists of your neighbours (those with similar musical taste to you). This is something that Ping won’t enable to you to do.
Plus you can ‘scrobble’ music from Spotify, iTunes, your iPod and other music sources all in the same place, building up a much more comprehensive picture of the music you listen to.
I know where I’d rather be Tim
The main thing they have going for them is the existing network, but Last.fm users are pretty loyal. Is MySpace Music even drawing new users? I suspect that people will check out Ping since it’s already on their iTunes, but that it won’t become a check-every-5-minute like deal like Facebook.
You’d rather be stuck inside Apple’s walled garden than Last.fm’s very open community, complete with developer API?
Furthermore, I’d rather be using Amazon MP3 to download music, as much of what comes from iTunes is DRM-ridden – and that’s a model we should be moving away from. Not to mention the fact that Ping is ill-executed, for an Apple product.
Someone is definitely drinking the kool-aid.
You are joking aren’t you? Apple Ping is a badly designed, poorly featured network that will do little to take people away from last.fm / Spotify et al.
The only thing it does currently have going for it is the established 150 million users on iTunes – but this hasn’t exactly done Google Buzz much favours.
It’s clearly put its toe into the water and the rivals will be taking note due to it being the 100 pound Gorilla of the digital music world. However, without massive investment and more incentives for early adopters I will be surprised if it gets much momentum