Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) will allow users to play podcasts, music and other audio clips direct from their timelines, or message feeds, via a new feature designed in partnership with Berlin-based audio-streaming service SoundCloud.
The online messaging service introduced on Thursday what it called "Audio Card," through which users can listen to a variety of content whilst browsing their timelines. For starters, Twitter has promised audio from SoundCloud s partners, which include such diverse sources as NASA, the Washington Post, CNN, David Guetta, Coldplay and Warner Music. But it s trying to snag more content partners in future, Twitter said in a blogpost on Thursday. Twitter didn t say how Audio Card might evolve, except to stress that it offers musicians a chance to post exclusive clips. "Many more musical artists and creators will be able to share exclusive, in-the-moment audio to millions of listeners on Twitter," the company added. Twitter s new feature comes after rivals from Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to Google Inc (GOOG.O) have jumped into the business of music-streaming, considered the fastest-growing segment of a music market dominated by iTunes. Twitter had reportedly been in discussions to acquire audio-sharing website SoundCloud, which has been called the Youtube of music, as far back as June.
