Today, Twitter announced its once selective service Twitter #Music is now available for everyone to use – both on their iOS devices as well as their browsers. This app helps facilitate the finding of new music through Twitter via short sample clips. The ability to follow artists on Twitter, view charts, and tweet new found tracks are its core features. As of now, the songs found on Twitter #music originate from iTunes, Spotify or Rdio, with iTunes being the default preview source.
Use Twitter #Music with iOS
Download Twitter #Music from the iTunes store. After the introductory slides upon launch, you’ll find many panes hosting songs and their artists. Swipe to the far right and sign in to Twitter, accepting security prompts if necessary.
At the top, choose the drop-down and select “Popular”. This category displays music that’s trending on Twitter, so it will likely change the next time you view it.
If you find an artist of interest, select the image and a larger pane is displayed where we can gather more information.
Here we can pause or play the selected title or click the “iTunes” button at the bottom to view additional songs on iTunes. Notice the Twitter profile beneath the play button and title. Choose this to jump right to the band’s Twitter profile.
If you want to listen to music from the artists Maroon 5 follows, for example, choose the search button on the top right and enter “Maroon 5.”
Now we can view all the artists that follow Maroon 5 in this new window. If you enjoy Maroon 5, this is a great place to find new music. Maybe theirs an artist that is similar you’ve never heard of and could be a good match for you. This is the place to find it.
If a new song is populated that peaks your interest and motivates you to want to share with your friends on Twitter, simply click the bottom on the bottom left of the screen this window will populate with a Tweet button on the top right.
Choose it to view little more options before tweeting. A message can be written at the top, above the link to the song.
Or if you choose the disc in the center of the screen, you can choose a past song that has played. That way you don’t have to quickly catch one and tweet it right away. You can easily browse to a few minutes ago and select that one to tweet, where you’ll be presented with a new message to include.
Use Twitter #Music With a Browser
Similar to the mobile app, the website features selectable tiles with all the same options as in iOS. Select the top left setting to choose suggested or emerging artists, popular ones, or songs that followers have tweeted.
Select the name beneath the image to be shown their Twitter profile where all the same settings can be found as in the app but in a much larger view. Select the Twitter profile image to be taken to their actual profile.
Follow an artist by choosing the regular follow button.
To Tweet, a new preview, select the “Compose a Tweet” button on the right of the preview pane found on the bottom of the screen. A new window will display where a message can be created. There is also an “iTunes” link to view additional songs by this artist.
By default, explicit tracks are played. To turn this off, choose the settings icon on the top of the screen and slide the “EXPLICIT Tracks” option to the OFF position.
These features are all great for finding new music except that the full tracks aren’t played – only samples. To change this, sign in to one of the two connected services Spotify or rdio via the top right “Play Full Tracks” button.
Final thoughts
Twitter #music is great – let it play in the background on your phone or set it up on a tab in your browser while you work. If something catches your attention simply bring it to focus and learn more about it. It couldn’t be easier. Having Twitter friends help on your discovery mission for new tunes has just been simplified to the extreme. I highly recommend this either via a mobile device or the browser – both have their benefits.
