14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is discontinuing its Music Player and Discography apps, the social network has announced, rather quietly. Page admins are getting a notification that the apps are no longer working and that they should seek alternatives.
The Music Player app enabled page admins to upload MP3s to Facebook and make them available to their fans. The MP3s were playable inline on the page.
This was a simple option for musicians, since the process was fast and there were no third parties to deal with. But Facebook is no longer seeing it this way.
It's encouraging Music Player users to find third-party streaming alternatives, or just to post videos instead of songs.
"The Facebook Music Player app is being replaced with better ways to incorporate music on your Page," Facebook said in a help page.
"Post music videos on your page Wall so people see your music in their news feed," it suggested.
"Use apps built by other developers that enable people on Facebook to discover and listen to your music. Like the Music on Facebook Page to stay up-to-date on new ways to share music with your audience," it also said.
With this move, it seems that the inline MP3 player is gone as well. Facebook enabled users to listen to an MP3 linked in a post directly on the site via its own music player. This is no longer possible.
With Facebook big move towards integrating music streaming services, it was only a matter of time until it dropped its own options, which haven't been maintained or developed since it introduced them a few years back.
Facebook has no intention of becoming a music host, like MySpace was, and it's much better served if it caters to its platform partners. It has more to gain by enabling other music services enhance Facebook than to work on a competing feature that is not as capable and doesn't make the social network any money.