Facebook’s Paid Messaging Makes Fans Pay to Say Hi
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This week, we learned that Facebook expanded their recently launched pay-to-message program all over the world. Here’s how it works: have something you want to say to someone who isn’t your Facebook friend? No problem. For a fee, starting at $1, you can get your message across. Sounds kind of harsh to charge people just to communicate, but when we think about it, we guess it’s not that different from paying postage to mail a letter, the way we would have touched base with people back in the day.
It gets more interesting when celebrity Facebook pages come into the mix. When this feature first launched late last year, users would have had to dish out $100 to contact, for example, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. While this feature is still in its “test” phase, it made us think about artist and fan interaction in the music world.
Music is special because it is universal; it is relatable and personal. It’s special because, while other celebrities can only be seen on your television, a movie screen, or in a magazine, musicians are more accessible just because of the nature of their career. Even with the ever-changing music industry, touring remains musicians’ #1 revenue source. Music lovers are constantly buying concert tickets to see their favorite acts in person, and frequently have the option to purchase or enter-to-win a “meet and greet” pass to interact with the acts in question.
As you can see, interaction between talent and fans in the music industry is already a pay-to-play kind of deal. We’re interested to see if, with the help of Facebook, celebrities in other parts of the entertainment industry will follow suit and take advantage of this technology to interact more with their fans…and at what price!