#NowPlaying: Twitter confirms music launch
After weeks of speculation, Twitter has confirmed that it will be launching a new music service in conjunction with music company We Are Hunted.
The application – aptly named #Music, hashtag included – will measure Twitter activity, including tweets and engagement, and then display the most popular tracks and artists to users, as well as suggestions from the artists themselves.
Users can listen to songs tweeted by the artists and people that they follow on Twitter by using the #NowPlaying hashtag, which has been trialled by We Are Hunted staff over the past few months.
Already, the application has had received positive comments and support from a variety of figures in the music industry, including Jason Mraz, Tommy Lee and Ne-Yo.
“Twitter and music go great together,” said Stephen Philips, founder of We are Hunted. “People share and discover new songs and albums every day.
“Many of the most-followed accounts on Twitter are musicians, and half of all 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.”
The application will initially be available in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but is expected to be rolled-out more widely in time.
Spotify revealed plans to launch its own ‘follow’ service last year, however no information has surfaced since then.
You can see how Twitter music works here: