One of the latest trends in the social media world is fan-made videos that include music, usually big hits that everyone is familiar with. These clips, which are typically short, funny, and enjoyable to make, number in the millions, and they are being created mostly by young people who see it as a new form of expression. It’s an exciting time to be playing in that world, and now Facebook wants to get in on the fun.

In an effort to increase its staff that can help create new, dynamic user experiences on the social platform, Facebook has officially acquired the startup Eyegroove, which until now was operating on its own.

The social media giant paid an undisclosed sum not so much for the company or the proprietary technology, according to TechCrunch, but for the brains that created the platform in the first place.

Eyegroove was founded as a simple social app where people could create 19-second videos that featured themselves singing along or doing whatever they pleased to any song housed on SoundCloud.

Before the “Groove” (as they were called) was finished, there were effects and filters that could be added to the result, which lead the company to become labeled as something of an “Instagram for interactive music,” which is what the company’s CEO called it in an interview with Wondering Sound when the app was first launching.

Sadly, because of this Facebook acqui-hire, that means the end of Eyegroove as the world knows it. The app will shut down soon, and “much” of the staff will be working for Zuckerberg and company any day now. That is a shame for the people who are fans of the product, but there are only a few hundred thousand of them, and they’ll likely be able to find a similar app to entertain themselves with.

CEO Scott Snibbe posted a statement on the company’s website this week thanking users for “Championing our mission and making Eyegroove an amazing community,” and adding that “Your creations brought us inspiration, laughter, tears, and fits of joy.” At the same time, he also gave shout outs to the investors that made the startup stick around for as long as it did: Matt Papakipos, Roger McNamee, Amarjit Gil, and Bill McLean.

Source: Forbes

Image Courtesy: Forbes