Apple’s Ping, MySpace & The Future of Music Social Networks
Posted by meredith on 09-02-2010
The big news out of Apple today is the debut of music social network Ping. Packaged with the latest version of iTunes, the opt-in newsfeed detailing friends’ listening and buying habits already has tech pundits speculating about game changing and MySpace killing potential. So.. should we buy into the hype?
A while back Anastasia wondered whether MySpace might be able to get its groove back through a new model built around its own music/entertainment community. It’s been over a year now and not only have the tides remain unchanged, but with the exit of Owen Van Natta, the mastermind behind that strategic shift, and Facebook continuing to evolve it could be argued that MySpace has fallen even further behind. Ypulse research on social network fatigue and a recent announcement that MySpace users can now synch their pages to Facebook only add to that impression.
Still, as a promotional tool for musicians, a MySpace page remains a given for bands. And when it comes to sampling tracks and checking concert dates, my first reference point as a fan is often MySpace. Of course, then I move on to Hype Machine, Pandora and, yes, iTunes to stream, discover and (occasionally) buy what I like.
That fragmentation is why what Apple is bringing to the table — customized discovery/artist info/concert listings on an established purchasing platform — is raising eyebrows for the music industry. Understandably so. Especially with the added bonus of a powerful mobile presence across Apple devices. It’s a model packed with commercial potential coming from arguably the most trusted name in music today.
And yet, I wonder how long we’ll have to wait before that potential gets realized by the masses. For all the hype in tech circles, I’m guessing it will take more than novelty and the Apple brand name to convince the average iTunes user to jump on yet another social network (see the downfall of Google Buzz). Not to mention one that lives on a desktop app most of us tend to keep minimized.
To be a viable social hub, Ping will have to find a way to incentivize iTunes users to opt-in. Key components of that strategy should be helping users find friends easily without Facebook Connect , building a base of artists, music bloggers and other cool curators to follow and also offering fans exclusive content, updates and deals on concerts tickets (LiveNation and Ticketmaster are powering the concert listings). That and listening to user feedback will be what determines the success of this first foray into social.
For now though, we’ll just have to wait and see. What are your predictions?
Categorized under: Movies & Music, Youth Marketing