Facebook Messenger adds music, starting with Spotify song sharing

First came the Transportation hub with Uber, and now Facebook Messenger is launching “its very first music integration” with Spotify.

Inside the Messenger “More” section in chat threads, all iOS and Android users will now find a Spotify option. Tap it and they’ll be shuttled into Spotify’s app where they can “Search for something to share.” Once they select a song, artist or playlist, they’ll be popped back to Messenger with the option to share the photo of the cover artwork. When a friend taps that photo, they’ll be bounced over to Spotify to listen.

Messenger Spotify Search

The Messenger team also created a playlist if you want to know what they’ve been listening to fuel the app’s growth to 800 million users.

Messenger Spotify playlist sharing

Spotify already has its own internal sharing option for sending songs straight to friends. It also connects with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. But now when you’re on Messenger discussing a song you fell in love with or an artist coming to play a concert, you can easily pop over to Spotify and back to share.

Many Messenger and Spotify users rely on screenshots or just typing out a song name to share it with a friend. That causes extra friction that might lead a recipient to never actually listen. With the Messenger sharing, there’s no extra typing necessary.

If Messenger can become a richer social layer connecting Spotify users, it could inspire deep conversations about music, boosting its engagement. That generates platform lock-in and potential monetization opportunities for Facebook. And for Spotify, Messenger will provide virality that could help it fend off Apple Music and convince more non-streamers of its value.