Yesterday, Twitter Music partnered with Billboard to unveil Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts, “new, interactive charts redefine how fans interact with, and influence, popular content by ranking the most popular songs being shared on Twitter in the U.S.” The announcement was made in NYC at an event where popular singer Austin Mahone performed and unveiled his own Twitter success. The announcement felt like the music industry’s answer to what has generally been a successful partnership for Twitter and Nielsen.
In March we wrote about the direct impact this partnership will have on TV, seeing as music is such a big part of TV. Now Twitter Music is diving into a world where one-off downloads are almost as ancient as CDs in a world of Spotify (there’s already a link on the chart to play the list of songs on Spotify). The future is clear though – Twitter sees deep value in strategic partners who have built trust among consumers and the industry. We will continue to follow the impact it has on social TV.