Spotify rolled out a new feature this weekend called Tweet the Beat. It’s a pop-up screen prompting listeners to tweet at an artist about one of their tunes. For now, the feature is only about Rihanna and one of her newest singles, but it’s likely that Spotify is working to bring other performers on board.
The idea of closer artist interaction is a reasonable pitch for Spotify, since it could help the performers connect more easily with their fans. However, this new feature could also raise eyebrows since it appears for people on both the free and premium tiers, even though the monthly subscription promises no ads. Granted, Tweet the Beat isn’t the same kind of outside promotion that people hear on the free tier, but it does have the potential to rub paying subscribers the wrong way if it feels like an intrusion on the listening experience.
Several online audio platforms have been announcing closer integrations with Twitter. Rdio introduced a similar feature at SXSW that gives listeners an option to tweet about the song they’re listening to and automatically tagging the artist’s Twitter handle. Rhapsody also launched audio cards for streaming full songs within the social media network’s interface.