When iTunes 10 was introduced, it brought about a new feature with it called Ping. Ping is a social networking service from Apple to allow users to share music tastes and connect with musicians and people alike.
When Ping launched initially, it did so with Facebook integration. However, the Facebook integration was taken out within a few days thanks to Apple and Facebook not reaching a deal and Facebook blocking Ping from accessing their API.
Today Twitter has stepped in to fill the void by announcing a new deal with Ping where users can share their ping activity, song previews and music download links on Twitter. As you can see from the screenshot above, sharing a link to the iTunes store will automatically display the product details beneath it, along with other Twitter activities.
If you use Ping, you can now connect your Twitter account to it and instantly find Ping users among the people you follow on Twitter. Once you have linked your Twitter and Ping account, your Ping activity like liking a song, new reviews or a song purchase will automatically be tweeted to your followers. In addition to the links, users will also be able to preview the songs and purchase it from within Twitter itself.
Considering how popular iTunes Store is, this move between Ping and Twitter is a definite win-win for both. Alas, there is no official word on when Apple and Facebook will set aside their differences and come up with a deal. More at the Twitter Blog.
