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