Does Blip.fm show a route to monetisation for Twitter?
Dan Thornton | August 25, 2008It took me a couple of passes to get the value of Blip.fm as opposed to existing streaming radio online like last.fm. At first, for some reason, it wasn’t running properly and playing each track in turn for me, which didn’t help! But now it’s becoming a great way to discover new music recommended by my friends, even if I normally revert to streaming my last.fm library for longer periods. The two compliment each other is the same way as someone like John Peel complimented by record collection, but I couldn’t always make it through an entire show before some obscure German techno forced me to change radio station.
Blip.fm helps me find new music by effectively allowing users to Twitter with each song they choose, giving it some context, or publicly proclaiming their love for it etc. And I can aggregate these choices into my own list, give ‘props’ to other users for good choices, and filter the overall stream via my friends, just as I would with Twitter.
Where it might give a clue to revenue streams for microblogging is in offering the direct link to buy any track as an MP3 via Amazon. So if I like a particular track or artist, the opportunity to make a quick impulse purchase is always there – and it’s backed up by allowing me to listen to the track based on recommendations by my friends.
The only weakness is that not every track is available, and I need to be aware that I want to listen to this track offline, in my car, on an Ipod, at the time that I’m experiencing it…or be able to find it easily, and at the moment there’s no way to search my Playlist, or add individual songs to my Amazon wishlist.
But if what if this model was more widely applied – to offline magazines and books for example. And to products as well? One Twitter Affiliates scheme which wasn’t tied into a sole retailer, but operated as an aggregation service to allow me to recommend almost anything, and offer a direct link?
It’s probably the quickest and simplest method of monetising the Twitterati. And people can be persuaded to link their recommendations to returns for themselves or even for charity, as something like Squidoo shows.
It would be possible to test the theory if individuals listed book recommendations etc via existing Amazon etc affiliate accounts, but this may lead to confusion and disappointment if it isn’t flagged up as such before an unsuspecting user follows the link – but Twitter and the extra 20 characters could flag referral posts quickly and uniformly.
The only question for me is who tries it first – Twitter, or an enterprising external team? Anyone know a good developer? 
[...] - There’s been a lot of buzz around Blip
TheWayoftheWeb » How I found music - and how that’s changed | August 28, 2008[...] – There’s been a lot of buzz around Blip recently. In fact, I even suggested it shows the best method of monetising Twitter, as it’s essentially a cross between a microblog, and an annotated John Peel show. You simply [...]
I have only just discovered blip.fm myself. Like you, I
Sean Carmody | September 3, 2008I have only just discovered blip.fm myself. Like you, I wasn’t sure what to make of it initially: part twitter part music service, it seemed to me at first that it was neither fish nor fowl. You make an interesting point though that it does suggest a possible monetization route for twitter. As an avid twitter user, I’ve been worrying of late that twitter may not survive, so ideas like this are, at the very least, food for thought.
Music can be a tricky area though. Back in April, the c-net blog Webware asked whether mixwit and muxtape were on solid legal ground, and sure enough, muxtape has now been shut down. I hope blip.fm works its way through this legal minefield.
Anyway, good post…I can feel one coming on myself!
[...] that initially had me scratching my head, but it
Monetising Microblogs with Music? | A Stubborn Mule's Perspective | September 3, 2008[...] that initially had me scratching my head, but it is gradually starting to make more sense. Based on a recent post on the Microblogger’s blog, 140char, others are responding in much the same [...]
[...] they take totally different approaches. I’ve previously covered ‘Twitter
140Char » Interview with Blippr founders Jonathan Cottrell and Chris Heard | September 17, 2008[...] they take totally different approaches. I’ve previously covered ‘Twitter radio’ Blip.fm, but somehow I’ve neglected to cover the other major twist on microblogging, Blippr. (You [...]