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Twitter launches #Music service with artist recommendations | Twitter launches #Music service with artist recommendations |
(34 minutes later) | |
Twitter has unveiled a new music app which will recommend tracks based on who you follow on the social network. | Twitter has unveiled a new music app which will recommend tracks based on who you follow on the social network. |
Songs can be played directly in the app via services such as Rdio, Spotify and iTunes. | Songs can be played directly in the app via services such as Rdio, Spotify and iTunes. |
The software displays songs your friends are currently listening to - as well as suggestions from artists. | The software displays songs your friends are currently listening to - as well as suggestions from artists. |
It follows moves by other social networks such as Facebook to incorporate music recommendations into their services. | It follows moves by other social networks such as Facebook to incorporate music recommendations into their services. |
Last year, Spotify announced its own "follow" system, but the functionality is yet to be rolled out to users on mobile. | Last year, Spotify announced its own "follow" system, but the functionality is yet to be rolled out to users on mobile. |
Twitter's app - called #Music - is expected to be made available to download for Apple's iPhone shortly. | Twitter's app - called #Music - is expected to be made available to download for Apple's iPhone shortly. |
No app has been made for users on Google's Android or the Windows Phone platforms - but there will be a web browser-based version. | |
It will initially be available in the UK and Ireland, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with more countries being added soon. | |
Surfacing songs | |
The app was likened to a "21st Century mixtape" unveiled on Good Morning America. | |
In a blog post, Twitter's Stephen Philips explained: "It uses Twitter activity, including tweets and engagement, to detect and surface the most popular tracks and emerging artists. | |
"It also brings artists' music-related Twitter activity front and centre: go to their profiles to see who they follow and listen to songs by those artists." | |
He added that half of the social network's users follow at least one musician. | |
"This is why artists turn to Twitter first to connect with their fans — and why we wanted to find a way to surface songs people are tweeting about." | |
Ahead of the app's release, Twitter gave several musicians early access. They included Moby, who wrote: "It's a really interesting music resource." | |
Apple's failure | |
Many companies have tried to tap into the potential of social recommendation for music. | |
London-based Last.fm, which was bought in May 2007 by CBS for £140m, analyses what a user listens to and offers suggestions based on the tastes of other Last.fm members who enjoy similar artists. | |
Apple also dipped its toe into the market with Ping - a service built into its iTunes software that promoted music it thought users may like. | |
At its launch, the late Steve Jobs said: "We think this will be really popular very fast because 160 million people can switch it on today." | |
Ping was closed in September last year. |
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