Facebook Unveils Music Sharing Feature

Facebook has unveiled a new feature that allows users of the popular social networking site to share their favorite music with other users.

Called "Listen With Friends," the feature supports online social groups oriented toward music-listening.

"You can listen to the same song, at the exact same time," explained Facebook product designer, Alexandre Roche.

"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." (Source: pcmag.com)

Spotify, Rdio Key to Listen With Friends

The new system works like this: when a Facebook user is listening to a song, a symbol resembling a music note appears next to their name in the site's designated chat area, as well as the real-time News Feed.

Others can share that tune simply by moving their mouse pointer over their friend's name and clicking the "Listen With" button.

There are some technical requirements for the system to work, however.

Both parties will need to have downloaded and installed one of the popular radio streaming services: Spotify, or Rdio, which are currently the only services supporting the "Listen With Friends" feature.

An attempt to click the "Listen With" button by someone who doesn't have Rdio or Spotify on his or her computer will generate an on-screen prompt asking the user to install either service. (Source: slashgear.com)

Once the necessary software is installed, a user can join with up to fifty Facebook friends to share the same song and also share a discussion about it.

Privacy Controls Keep Music Tastes Under Wraps

If you're a frequent Facebook user, expect to hear about "Listen With Friends" soon, because Facebook will be advising its members about the new service every time one of their friends signs up to share music.

If you're worried about privacy, Facebook says it has built the new feature so users can limit who can take a peek at their musical tastes.

"Only the people you've shared your listening activity with can see when you're listening with a friend," Facebook announced in a recent Help Center post. (Source: pcmag.com)

The "Listen With Friends" service is expected to be available to Facebook users within the next few weeks.