Report: Apple to sell iTunes songs through Bebo

The Financial Times reported Tuesday that Apple is poised to announce a deal in which it will sell iTunes store tracks through social-networking site Bebo. At first, it appears that this applies only to Bebo's 8.8 million users in the U.K. and Ireland, where the service is most popular, but the story hinted that it may expand to the rest of Bebo's 33 million-strong user base if successful.

According to the Financial Times article, any band or artist with a Bebo profile--there are approximately 500,000 of them--that's already part of the iTunes catalog will be able to embed an iTunes widget into its page and sell its music through it. Bebo will in turn promote the iTunes features with a free "single of the week" that aims to highlight upcoming and lesser-known artists.

This marks the first time the iTunes store has partnered with a third-party social-networking site to sell its music. The Financial Times suggests that the official announcement from Apple will come Wednesday and that the Bebo partnership may be active on the same day.

Side note: Could a Facebook Platform application be on the way for the iTunes store?

[jelloburn]

Facebook

While music hasn't been _sold_ through Facebook, the Apple
group on facebook offers free iTunes downloads for group
members, and last summer they offered 25 song packs from
different genres every couple weeks.

So the song of the week thing doesn't really mark a first in
Bebo's case. Personally, I don't see myself purchasing music
through another website when doing it through iTunes is so
easy, and my information is passing through as few parties as
possible.

[lmasanti]

There's a difference...

I think that there is a "quality" difference between Bebo and
Facebook.
AFAIK, both are "social networking", but Bebo is "speciallized" in
music (and in some kind of music... maybe, not big labels) and
Facebook is just for "everybody" (of course, it is the most desirable
"target").
I think that Apple/iTunes is "quite specific" in its advances in any
subject. And I think this is quite positive.