San Francisco CA (Top40 Charts/ ThingLink / SoundCloud) ThingLink (ThingLink.com), the provider of image interaction tools, and SoundCloud (SoundCloud.com), the fast-growing audio platform, today announced an innovative collaboration of technologies that enables anyone to add sound and music directly to their images. For the first time, it is possible to link a SoundCloud waveform player to any photo or picture, thereby connecting the subject to sounds, music and effects, voice annotations and narrations.
This collaboration means that SoundCloud's more than three million registered audio creators will be able to bring additional context, interactivity and meaning to both their sounds and the images that inspire them; whether it's to a promotional flyer, a memorable photograph or an album cover artwork. By simply scrolling over the uploaded image, a series of 'hotspots' appear, each one linking to a sound that can be played directly from within the picture. By using Thinglink, users can also include links to social networks, blogs, news and commerce web sites, as well as email.
"Images and sound are a natural combination and really compliment each other," said Ulla-Maaria Engestrom, ThingLink CEO. "Context invites clicks, and sound adds a new dimension to images, be it fan shots, fashion photos, or family albums."
Alexander Ljung, founder and CEO of SoundCloud said, "This simple concept of linking sound to the images that are meaningful to you opens up endless opportunities to audio creators. Not only will it change the way artists promote themselves, their music and their live shows, but it will also allow people to add narrative to their holiday snaps, verbal descriptions to their designs or funny soundbites to their illustrations."
An example of how this new collaboration of technologies is already being embraced, includes: Paper Garden Records, a NY-based record company and music promoter, who has created an interactive flyer for their bands at SXSW. They use ThingLink tags to link the flyer to their music samples on SoundCloud, as well as website, party venue, Facebook page and sponsors. When flyers are shared onwards via Facebook, Twitter and email, the interactive hotspots follow and bring traffic back to Paper Garden Record's website. Further sound-filled images, including Moby, Beck and The Smashing Pumpkins, can be viewed at gallery.thinglink.com.
Want to add your sounds to your website's images? The process is quick and easy:
- Set up a free account at ThingLink.com and Soundcloud.com.
* Install a few lines of ThingLink javascript on your website or blog
* When you input a SoundCloud URL into a tag's link field, a player appears in your tag. Click it and it starts playing the track in the background.
For more information, or to sign-up for FREE, please visit ThingLink.com and SoundCloud.com.
