It’s been said, rather glibly, that television without video is radio (and conversely that television without audio is surveillance), but what about radio without audio? Twadio is offering just that — “the silent radio station that plays in your head,” according to its strapline.
The concept is simple and, in so much as it avoids any questions about online performance rights and/or royalties, a bit ingenious: Use the Twitter social networking/microblogging platform to feed a steady stream of song titles to followers.
Twitter users subscribe to the @tweejay or the associated RSS feed and several times an hour an artist, title and link are pushed out as a tweet. All the songs tweeted are popular hits that should come easily to mind, but Twadio also connected to Amazon’s MP3 download store to feed samples of the tracks … just in case the hook doesn’t come immediately to mind. The same link provides a revenue stream through commissions on sales of linked MP3s.
During a three-hour stretch this afternoon, Twadio offered up:
- “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John
- “First Time” by Robin Beck
- “Woman In Love” by Barbra Streisand
- “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” by Monty Python
- “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett
- “Super Trouper” by ABBA
- “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys
- “Turn Your Love Around” by George Benson
- “Fools Gold ” by The Stone Roses
- “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” by Billy Ocean
- “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner
- “Stay” by Shakespears Sister
- “Message In A Bottle” by The Police
- “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” by Tavares
It’s not a mix that would work well on air, but the concept is interesting … and one a station could implement using its actual over-the-air playlist.