Twitter has released its much-anticipated music sampling and discovery service, working in conjunction with Apple, Spotify and Rdio.
"We're releasing Twitter #music, a new service that will change the way people find music, based on Twitter. It uses Twitter activity, including tweets and engagement, to detect and surface the most popular tracks and emerging artists," says Stephen Philips, founder of the recent Twitter acquisition We Are Hunted in a blog post.
"It also brings artists' music-related Twitter activity front and centre: go to their profiles to see which music artists they follow and listen to songs by those artists. And, of course, you can tweet songs right from the app."
Twitter Music, or #music, adds features like track previews to tweets, and a much more social side to artists and bands. There is an iOS app and a web based version, music.twitter.com. At the time of writing, that online option is still "coming soon."
Users will by default hear previews from iTunes when exploring music in the app, while subscribers to Rdio and Spotify premium services can log in to listen to full tracks (if available). Twitter says it’s seeking deals with other music providers.
Twitter Music is available in countries including the UK and US. While the app is presently available only at the Apple App store, an Android version is promised.
