Twitter opens up embeddable audio with new partnership with iTunes and SoundCloud

Twitter Audio Cards make it easier to listen to singles, podcasts and all the rest when browsing on iOS and Android devices

The act of tweeting is about get a lot noisier. A new partnership with SoundCloud and iTunes means that Twitter users will now be able to embed everything from top 40 hits to podcasts in their tweets.

“With a single tap, the Twitter Audio Card lets you discover and listen to audio directly in your timeline on both iOS and Android devices,” said product manager Richard Slatter in a blog post announcing the feature.

“Throughout your listening experience, you can dock the Audio Card and keep listening as you continue to browse inside the Twitter app,” he added. This means you can minimize the player while you carry on browsing without stopping the audio.

The new Audio Card format is launching with a number of select partners, from musicians like Chance the Rapper, Alt J and Deadmau5 to broadcasters like the BBC and podcasts like NPR. (A full list of participating accounts is available on Twitter’s blog.)

“We’re just beginning to test the Audio Card and plan to make it available to more partners and creators in the future so that many more musical artists and creators will be able to share exclusive, in-the-moment audio to millions of listeners on Twitter,” said Slatter.

The introduction of Audio Cards is especially interesting for streaming service SoundCloud, who were rumoured to have been courted by Twitter back in May.

For unknown reasons the deal failed to materialize, but SoundCloud put on a brave face and followed it up with a redesigned iPhone app in June and web interface in October.