Spotify defends demand for Facebook tie in
Swedish music retailer and streaming service Spotify has defended its decision to require Facebook membership from all new users, explaining that the tie in is "all about creating an amazing new world of music discovery".
The changes to social media website Facebook have been met with mixed reactions since their launch at the firm's F8 conference last week.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek was among the more prominent speakers at the conference and among the changes announced is a move to synchronise Spotify user listening habits with their Facebook accounts.
The change will mean that music listened to on Spotify will be detailed on Facebook accounts and thus shared with friends.
Spotify told The Local in a comment on the changes on Wednesday that the firm considered the move to be a "logical step".
"As most of our users are already social and have already connected to Facebook, it seemed logical to integrate Spotify and Facebook logins... By adopting Facebook’s login, we've created a simple and seamless social experience," Spotify's PR manager Sofie Grant told The Local.
The changes mean that all new Spotify users will need a Facebook account to sign up to the popular music streaming service.
"Think of it as like a virtual 'passport', designed to make the experience smoother and easier, with one less username and password to remember," Grant said, explaining that users will still be able to control what they share.
In a column in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Tuesday, social media expert Emmanuel Karlsten argued that while the move to establish closer links to companies, such as Spotify, is a "major change" for users, peer group pressure will no doubt encourage us to adapt.
Spotify meanwhile welcomed feedback on the changes which Karlsten observed signified a "new standard" for "what we believed that we wanted to share".
"We're constantly trying new things, always looking for feedback and we're always going to listen to our users, making changes based on this feedback wherever we can," Sofie Grant said.
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The changes to social media website Facebook have been met with mixed reactions since their launch at the firm's F8 conference last week.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek was among the more prominent speakers at the conference and among the changes announced is a move to synchronise Spotify user listening habits with their Facebook accounts.
The change will mean that music listened to on Spotify will be detailed on Facebook accounts and thus shared with friends.
Spotify told The Local in a comment on the changes on Wednesday that the firm considered the move to be a "logical step".
"As most of our users are already social and have already connected to Facebook, it seemed logical to integrate Spotify and Facebook logins... By adopting Facebook’s login, we've created a simple and seamless social experience," Spotify's PR manager Sofie Grant told The Local.
The changes mean that all new Spotify users will need a Facebook account to sign up to the popular music streaming service.
"Think of it as like a virtual 'passport', designed to make the experience smoother and easier, with one less username and password to remember," Grant said, explaining that users will still be able to control what they share.
In a column in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Tuesday, social media expert Emmanuel Karlsten argued that while the move to establish closer links to companies, such as Spotify, is a "major change" for users, peer group pressure will no doubt encourage us to adapt.
Spotify meanwhile welcomed feedback on the changes which Karlsten observed signified a "new standard" for "what we believed that we wanted to share".
"We're constantly trying new things, always looking for feedback and we're always going to listen to our users, making changes based on this feedback wherever we can," Sofie Grant said.
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