Digital

Twitter Music elements revealed by source code spy

By | Published on Monday 15 April 2013

Twitter

Elements of Twitter’s previously reported new music discovery service have been revealed after a designer called Youssef Sarhan worked out how to view some CSS code linked to the new venture, and noticed some key words that suggest some of the functionality and partners that will be offered at launch.

Rumours of a new music-specific app from Twitter first began seriously circulating last month after C-Net discovered that something was in development, and that the web firm had acquired music discovery service We Are Hunted to help make it happen.

It is thought the new app will suggest music for users to listen to based on various criteria, including what feeds the user follows on the Twitter platform. Within the app users will see four tabs offering lists of personalised suggestions, most popular tunes, new talent and songs being played by the tweeters they follow. Users will then be able to play music from recommended artists from within the app via third-party streaming services.

It was originally thought that the streaming element would be limited to iTunes previews and SoundCloud, the former only 90 seconds in length, and the latter relying on rights owners uploading their content to a platform where music cannot be directly monetised. But Sarhan’s source code read suggests that Spotify, Rdio, VEVO and YouTube are also partners, which would greatly enhance the preview element of the service, for users and rights owners alike.

Said code also suggests that Twitter will provide artist biographies and charts, and that it will be available via a smart phone and tablet app as well as on the web.

Official information about this new service remains sketchy, though gossipers reckon a launch could be imminent. And while said launch won’t shake up the streaming music market in quite the way Apple, Google and Amazon might if and when they enter that domain, it could quickly become a leader in the music recommendation space, which will pose challenges for those streaming platforms trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market place by offering the “best discovery service”. Which is most of them.



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