The internet music service Spotify is opening itself up to third party apps.
Developers will be able to write programs to add functionality to the music player, such as the ability to see lyrics or buy concert tickets from artists being listened to.
Co-founder Daniel Ek said he believed the move would be "game-changing for music" adding that many subscribers had requested the feature.
Facebook has found success using a similar model.
Spotify teamed up with the social network earlier this year, allowing its users to reveal which songs they were listening to via its partner's website.
Spotify's decision poses a further challenge to Apple. Although the iPhone maker dominates MP3 sales, its social network feature Ping is not viewed as a success.
Mr Ek believes the introduction of apps will only attract more people to his firm's service.
"We are truly launching integrated apps inside Spotify from the best and the brightest," he said.