If you're reading this in the UK - it's Spotify
If you're reading this in the US - it's Pandora
If you're reading this and you're Dr Dre (congratulations, by the way) - it's Beats Music.

That's pretty much the streaming music landscape, but it's a terrain that'd look very different if Twitter had completed a few of the acquisitions it was considering. The tweeting blue-bird apparently fluttered with the idea of opening its wallet for Spotify or Pandora and has only recently backed off from buying Soundcloud, reaching the advanced stage of holding talks with the company. 

(credit: techcrunch)


Twitter has already made one notable music purchase in its past, taking rather-good Spotify app We Are Hunted and turning it into the ill-fated Twitter #music. In the process robbing many Spotify playlists of decent emerging acts. Nevertheless Twitter integration is arguably much more promising fit for music services than the likes of Facebook as the average user's Twitter communities often much more closely mirror their tastes than Facebook friends gained through the dubious shared experience of proximity. Or to put it succinctly: just because you went to went to primary school with a girl, doesn't mean you'll share her love of showtunes.


We Are Hunted, when it was a very useful Spotify app
(credit: mitchmalone)


While Twitter has reportedly gone off the idea it's hard not to imagine how different things could be if these acquisitions were made. A much closer relationship between music and the content created around it and the artists' own association with their creation.

As someone who writes about social media, but also writes about music, it's a fascinating prospect and Twitter surely needs something to shake up its slowing growth. Numerous times major brands have prospered by associating themselves closer with music and it must be one of the most effective ways to successfully catapult into mass conciousness while also cementing a brand image with intelligent choices.

Converse has built a brand on its rock and roll association.
(credit: ning)


From my point of view this discussion of how Twitter could try to buy Spotify or Pandora is almost secondary to how Twitter should try to buy Spotify or Pandora. If the numbers don't add up for Twitter though, which is not unlikely as Spotify and Pandora rack up huge valuations, then the Soundcloud deal would have been ideal - except it's just abandoned it.

Who's with me?