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Twitter, Apple partner to "share" music (previews and links) via Ping

Twitter and Apple partner to bring music previews and links to buy tracks via Ping, the new iTunes social network.
Written by Sam Diaz, Inactive

It was only a matter of time before music started appearing in tweets. After all, photos and videos are already working their way into the daily stream of Twitter noise. Shouldn't it also have a soundtrack?

Twitter today announced a partnership with Apple that will link the new iTunes social network - called Ping - with tweets. When you interact with a song on Ping, that information - including a preview clip of the track and a link to buy and download the track - can be automatically tweeted. That way, everyone who follows you on Twitter can now give Apple $1.29 for the track, too.

After all, that's what this is all about, right? Getting more people to buy music on Apple's iTunes platform.

Also: Ping: Apple should leave social to Facebook, Twitter

I'll admit that I just joined Ping today. When Apple announced it some time back, I had no desire to 1) join yet another social network, 2) join a social network that was pretty much limited to music only and 3) join a social network that wasn't interacting with the other social networks I was already in.

I guess the Twitter deal changes that - but, again, it's just 30-second clips and links to pay Apple for a music track. And, while my experience with Ping is only a couple of hours old, I'm not too eager to start building yet another network of fellow music lovers.

But here's my bigger problem. Twitter - at least for me - is not the same type of social network that I have on Facebook. Anyone - anyone at all - can follow me on Twitter and I don't get to invite or accept them into my network. Granted, I follow people on Twitter, too - but I'm not necessarily going to them for advice on music. I follow them for a number of reasons, but mostly because they follow news topics that I also follow.

When I share "fun" stuff - the latest viral YouTube link or pics of our vacation - I'm sharing that with my network of friends on Facebook, the people whom I've accepted into my online world or whose online world I choose to be a part of.

Alas, there is no partnership that links iTunes with Facebook - at least not yet.

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