Twitter has acquired Australia-based music streaming startup, We Are Hunted, as part of its efforts to become a hub for multimedia content distribution.

The startup was established by Stephen Phillips, Richard Slatter, Michael Doherty and Nick Crocker in Brisbane and launched in 2009 as a tool that allows users to discover, play and share new music on the internet.

We Are Hunted said in a statement that the company will shut down their existing service and continue to create services that will delight users, as part of the Twitter team. "There’s no question that Twitter and music go well together," the startup said.

"Artists turn to Twitter first to connect with fans, and people share and discover new songs and albums every day. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on at Twitter."

The acquisition of the music streaming startup comes after Twitter purchased video-sharing service Vine, that allows users to shoot and post short clips, and is yet to be launched.

Recently, the micro blogging service was granted a patent for its messaging system that focuses on where and when users are allowed to follow each other, and to view messages without a unique recipient.