YouTube Plans to Compete With Spotify

This week's need-to-know social-media news.

YouTube, already one of the world's biggest platforms for streaming music, plans to launch a subscription service in competition with Spotify, Pandora and other digital music platforms. The new service will reportedly complement Google Play, Google's music platform for Android. While people will be able to use the services for free, paying for a subscription will provide additional features -- perhaps ad-free listening.

Rather than kicking against the pricks, as it did in the early days of digital music sharing, the record industry seems to be on board. The Warner Music Group is reportedly partnering with Google on the new services. This forward-thinking approach may signal a brighter future for the music industry, which just reported its first year-on-year sales increase in 13 years, Fortune reports. -- Fortune

Among consumers, blogs beat social networks.
Everyone knows by now that social media should be an integral part of any marketing push, but less commonly talked about is the power that bloggers wield among the buying public. Among digital resources that influence purchasing decisions, blogs outrank both Facebook and Twitter, according to Technorati's 2013 Digital Influence Report. Given this fact, cozying up to a few bloggers could pay dividends for your brand. -- Social Media Examiner

Twitter has improved its mobile experience.
If you manage your company's Twitter account while on the go, you may be glad to hear that Twitter has updated its mobile search. Top tweets will now be more prominent in search results, and autocomplete will offer more (and more relevant) suggestions. What's more, Twitter has improved its in-app web browser -- now you can retweet and favorite a tweet while reading the article it links to. -- Search Engine Land

Most of Pinterest's top 100 most influential users live in cities.
In the United States, the majority of Pinterest users live in suburban and rural areas rather than major cities, according to a study by the Pew Center on Internet and American Life. But the most influential "pinners," live in major cities where trends are set. So while you want Middle America to pin your stuff, getting an influencer in a place like New York City or Los Angeles to do so would be even better. -- SocialTimes

Majority opinion on Twitter does not reflect public opinion.
If you find yourself disagreeing with the majority opinion of people on Twitter following a major event, like President Obama's inaugural address or the Oscars, you're not alone. The Pew Research Center found large differences between public sentiment as expressed in polls and as expressed in Twitter data for eight of the most significant events of the past year. So while it's still important to get your brand noticed and loved on Twitter, it isn't the, end-all be-all of consumer sentiment. -- Mashable