(The Mash) Facebook is reportedly readying to launch an iTunes competitor and is actively pursuing deals with a number of record labels. All Facebook reports that the company is also looking to hire a CEO to head the new division, and has been working on the project since March.
On top of the possibility of adding an MP3 store, it was learned this week that Facebook is looking in to adding more advertising.
One of the things that has driven Facebook’s popularity since it opened to the general public was its clean interface. MySpace had gotten so over run with ads that you could barely navigate the site any more. Now Facebook wants to follow what could possibly be the same route, and not only that, but branch in to a market that doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense for a social network.
Facebook seems to be losing their way somewhat with their blinding success. While the developers platform was a nice concept, the site is completely over run with some of the silliest applications ever. This wouldn’t be such a problem if people weren’t adding so many to their accounts that you can barely scroll them any more. With the addition of an MP3 store, will this seal the fate of Facebook as having completely diluted their brand?
What are they now? A social network? An online retailer? A programmer’s haven for anyone who wants to tinker? An untapped advertiser’s paradise with a ripe marketplace? Facebook could quickly be sending their burgeoning user base to another social site if they make it too hard for their users to find their way around, which was one of the reasons we all went there in the first place.
