Shazam (music app)

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Shazam identifies songs using an audio fingerprint based on a time-frequency graph called a spectrogram. It uses a smartphone or computer's built-in microphone to gather a brief sample of the audio being played. Shazam stores a catalogue of audio fingerprints in a database. The user records a song for 10 seconds and the application creates an audio fingerprint. Shazam works by analyzing the captured sound and seeking a match based on an acoustic fingerprint in a database of millions of songs.[https://www.shazam.com/company Shazam - About Shazam] If it finds a match, it sends information such as the artist, song title, and album back to the user. Some implementations of Shazam incorporate relevant links to services such as iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, or Groove Music.{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5647458/how-shazam-works-to-identify-nearly-every-song-you-throw-at-it|title=How Shazam Works To Identify (Nearly) Every Song You Throw at It|last1=Jacobs|first1=Bryan|website=Gizmodo|date=25 September 2010|access-date=13 June 2017|archive-date=9 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165248/https://gizmodo.com/5647458/how-shazam-works-to-identify-nearly-every-song-you-throw-at-it|url-status=dead}}

Shazam can identify music being played from any source, provided that the background noise level is not high enough to prevent an acoustic fingerprint from being taken, and that the song is present in the software's database.

The company released a paid app called Shazam Encore, which was discontinued when the company was bought by Apple in 2018. In September 2012, the service was expanded to enable TV users in the US to identify featured music, access cast information, and get links to show information online, as well as added social networking capabilities.

In 2014, Shazam redesigned its app and added features.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaltveurope.net/151662/shazam-unveils-app-redesign|title=Shazam unveils app redesign|publisher=Digital TV Europe|date=25 February 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}}

File:Shazam icon.svg

Shazam Entertainment Limited was founded in 1999 by Chris Barton and Philip Inghelbrecht, who were MBA students at the University of California, Berkeley, and Dhiraj Mukherjee, who worked at a London-based internet consulting firm called Viant.{{Cite book|title=Mad Men of Mobile: Leading Entrepreneurs and Innovators Share Their Stories, from Siri to Shazam|last=Newnham|first=Danielle|isbn=978-1-4942-6656-1|language=English|date=2013-12-17|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform }}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/dec/07/shazam-co-founder-we-were-growing-a-business-in-a-collapsing-market|title=Shazam co-founder: 'We were growing a business in a collapsing market'|last=Sheppard|first=Emma|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2016-12-07|access-date=2023-10-01}} In need of a digital signal processing specialist, the founding team then hired Avery Wang, who had received his PhD from Stanford University.{{cite web|url=https://www.seti.org/avery-wang|title=Avery Wang|website=SETI Institute|date=2022-04-28|access-date=2023-10-01}}

Initially, in 2002, the service was launched only in the UK and was known as "2580", as the number was the short code that customers dialled from their mobile phone to get music recognized. The phone would automatically hang up after 30 seconds. A result was then sent to the user in the form of a text message containing the song title and artist name. At a later date, the service also began to add hyperlinks in the text message to allow the user to download the song online.{{cite news|url=http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/shazam-and-aqa-the-answer-is-on-your-mobile-49264359|title=Shazam & AQA: The answer is on your mobile|access-date=29 September 2012|last=Lim|first=Andrew|newspaper=CNET UK|date=24 April 2006|archive-date=26 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126080535/http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/shazam-and-aqa-the-answer-is-on-your-mobile-49264359|url-status=dead}}

Shazam launched in the US on the AT&T Wireless network in 2004 in a joint offering with Musicphone, a now defunct San Francisco-based company. The service was free at launch with AT&T saying that it would charge $0.99 for each use in the future.{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/Dial-that-tune-comes-to-U.S./2110-1039_3-5192105.html|title=Dial-that-tune comes to US|publisher=CNET|date=15 April 2004|archive-date=4 February 2014|last=Charny|first=Ben|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204050300/http://news.cnet.com/Dial-that-tune-comes-to-U.S./2110-1039_3-5192105.html|df=dmy-all}}

In 2006, users were charged £0.60 per call or had unlimited use for £4.50 a month, as well as an online service to keep track of all tags.

Shazam first became available as an app in 2006 exclusively on the Amp'd Mobile cellular service.

Shazam for iPhone debuted on 10 July 2008, with the launch of Apple's App Store. The free app enabled users to launch iTunes and buy the song directly,{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-9988219-27.html|title=Shazam on iPhone could change music discovery|last=Rosoff|first=Matt|access-date=29 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=10 July 2008|archive-date=19 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219163150/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-9988219-27.html|url-status=dead}} although the service struggled to identify classical music.{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13544_3-9993320-35.html|title=iPhone apps: Testing Shazam's limits – classical music|last=Ho|first=Kevin|access-date=29 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=17 July 2008|archive-date=15 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215001051/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13544_3-9993320-35.html|url-status=dead}}

Shazam launched on the Android platform on 30 October 2008,{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10071167-2.html|title=Shazam moves to Android, works with Amazon MP3 Store|last=Reisinger|first=Don|access-date=29 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=21 October 2008|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201172004/http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10071167-2.html|url-status=dead}} and on the Windows Mobile Marketplace a year later.{{cite news|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10368986-10356022.html|title=Shazam debuts in Windows Marketplace for Mobile|last=Dolcourt|first=Jessica|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=7 October 2009|archive-date=19 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219154401/http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10368986-10356022.html|url-status=dead}} Encore first appeared for the iPhone in November 2009.{{cite news|url=http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10393035-12.html|title=Shazam iPhone app gets premium Encore|last=Dolcourt|first=Jessica|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=9 November 2009|archive-date=10 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210030900/http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10393035-12.html|url-status=dead}}

In December 2009, Shazam was downloaded ten million times in 150 countries across 350 mobile operators. Around eight percent of users purchased a track after it was identified by the service. Its success led to a funding round from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in October 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/shazam-draws-investment-is-already-profitable-2009-10|title=Shazam Draws Investment, Is Already Profitable|last=Saint|first=Nick|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=30 September 2012|date=15 October 2009|archive-date=22 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422032932/http://www.businessinsider.com/shazam-draws-investment-is-already-profitable-2009-10|url-status=dead}} In January 2011, Apple announced that Shazam was the fourth most downloaded free app of all time on the App Store, while rival SoundHound had the top paid iPad app.{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20028889-17.html|title=Apple reveals top apps of all time|last=Reisinger|first=Don|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=CNET|date=19 January 2011|archive-date=4 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204050610/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20028889-17.html|url-status=dead}}

In August 2012, Shazam announced the service had been used to tag five billion songs, TV shows and advertisements. In addition, Shazam claimed to have over 225 million users across 200 countries.{{cite news|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/08/07/shazam-five-billion-songs-tv-shows-and-ads-tagged|title=Shazam: Five billion songs, TV shows and ads tagged|last=Sawers|first=Paul|newspaper=The Next Web|access-date=30 September 2012|date=7 August 2012}} A month later, the service claimed to have more than 250 million users with two million active users per week.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9547632/Shazam-hits-250-million-users-and-adds-TV-tagging-capability.html|title=Shazam hits 250 million users and adds TV tagging capability|last=Kinder|first=Lucy|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9547632/Shazam-hits-250-million-users-and-adds-TV-tagging-capability.html|archive-date=12 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=17 September 2012|location=London}}{{cbignore}} In 2014, the app announced it had 100 million monthly active users and over 500 million downloads.{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/08/20/shazam-now-100-million-monthly-active-users-mobile|title=Shazam Hits 100 Million Monthly Active Users|first=Nick|last=Summers|publisher=Thenextweb.com|date=20 August 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}} In October 2014, Shazam announced its technology had been used to identify 15 billion songs.{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/38714-15-billion-songs-have-been|title=15 billion songs have been identified by music recognition service Shazam|publisher=Silicon Republic|date=10 October 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}}

The Shazam app was listed among Techland's 50 Best Android Applications for 2013.{{cite news|url=https://techland.time.com/2013/07/01/50-best-android-apps-for-2013/slide/pulse-news/|title=50 Best Android Apps for 2013|first=Jared|last=Newman|work=Techland|date=1 July 2013|access-date=30 June 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704153053/http://techland.time.com/2013/07/01/50-best-android-apps-for-2013/slide/pulse-news|archive-date=4 July 2013|df=dmy-all}}

In August 2014, Shazam announced there would be no more updates for Shazam(RED) after 7 August.[https://web.archive.org/web/20141103184154/https://support.shazam.com/hc/en-us/articles/202604996-Important-News-About-SHAZAM-RED Important News About Shazam(RED)] – Shazam Support

Apple's launch of iOS 8 in September 2014 came with the integration of Shazam into Apple's virtual assistant Siri.{{cite web|url=http://www.jbgnews.com/2014/09/shazam-partners-with-apple-to-bring-music-recognition-to-siri/504608.html|title=Shazam Partners With Apple to Bring Music Recognition to Siri|last=Ferlazzo|first=Lisa|publisher=JBG News|date=28 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129034419/http://www.jbgnews.com/2014/09/shazam-partners-with-apple-to-bring-music-recognition-to-siri/504608.html|archive-date=29 November 2014}}

In February 2013, Shazam announced a partnership with the music store Beatport, adding its library of electronic music to the service.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/1538517/beatports-matthew-adell-on-shazam-deal-why-music-biz-is|title=Beatport's Matthew Adell on Shazam Deal, Why Music Biz Is a 'Disaster Model'|magazine=Billboard|date=7 February 2013|access-date=21 September 2013}} On 3 April 2013 Shazam announced an exclusive partnership with Saavn, an Indian online music streaming service. The deal added nearly 1 million songs in Indian languages to Shazam's database.{{cite web|url=http://www.financialmirror.com/newsml_story.php?id=5458|title=Shazam Forms Exclusive New Partnership with Saavn for the Best Indian Music Discovery Experience|work=Financial Mirror|date=3 April 2013|access-date=15 June 2015|archive-date=22 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422032711/http://www.financialmirror.com/newsml_story.php?id=5458|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/04/03/shazam-broadens-its-horizons|title=Shazam Broadens Its Horizons - Speakeasy|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=4 August 2017|archive-date=22 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722015757/https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/04/03/shazam-broadens-its-horizons|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/03/shazam-partners-with-the-spotify-of-india-saavn-to-improve-its-south-asian-music-recognition|title=Shazam Partners With The 'Spotify of India', Saavn, To Improve Its South Asian Music Recognition|publisher=TechCrunch|date=3 April 2013|access-date=15 June 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.medianama.com/2013/04/223-shazam-saavn-tieup|title=Updated: Shazam Ties Up With Saavn To Identify Hindi & Regional Music; Implications|first=Vikas|last=SN|publisher=MediaNama|date=4 April 2013|access-date=15 June 2015}} In July 2014, Shazam announced a partnership with Rdio that allows Shazam users to stream full songs within the app.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6157583/shazam-partners-with-rdio-to-stream-full-songs-inside|title=Shazam Partners With Rdio to Stream Full Songs Inside App (Exclusive)|magazine=Billboard|date=14 July 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}}

In May 2015, Shazam was launched on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear).{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/05/22/shazam-now-works-on-your-android-watch|title=Shazam now works on your Android watch|date=22 May 2015}}

{{anchor|Rich Riley}}

Rich Riley{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/37565947|title=Shazam CEO Rich Riley on How 'I accidentally invented the toolbar'|work=BBC|date=8 October 2016|access-date=9 October 2016}} joined Shazam as CEO in April 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/30/shazam-rich-riley_n_3762179.html|title=Shazam CEO Rich Riley on How He Got Carlos Slim's Backing And His Own Music Tastes|work=HuffPost|date=30 August 2013|access-date=15 June 2015}} after over 13 years at Yahoo!{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/1560025/shazam-names-rich-riley-new-ceo-aiming-for-eventual-ipo|title=Shazam Names Rich Riley New CEO, Aiming For Eventual IPO|magazine=Billboard|date=29 April 2013|access-date=15 June 2015}}{{anchor|Andrew Fisher}} Riley replaced Andrew Fisher, who was hired from Infospace into the CEO role in 2005 to strengthen industry partnerships and grow the userbase. Fisher is now executive chairman.

In addition to music, Shazam has announced collaborations with partners across television, advertising and cinema. In May 2014, National CineMedia announced a partnership with Shazam to incorporate Shazam into FirstLook pre-show segments that run in Regal, AMC and Cinemark cinemas.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/14/shazam-partners-with-ncm|title=Movie Theater Pre-Shows Are About To Become Shazam-able, Thanks To Partnership With NCM|publisher=TechCrunch|date=14 May 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}} In November 2014, NCM and Shazam announced that NCM FirstLook pre-shows are now Shazam enabled on over 20,000 movie screens across the United States.{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2014/11/07/shazam-firstlook|title=Using Shazam at movie theaters could score you free tickets for 50 years|first=Rex|last=Santus|publisher=Mashable|date=7 November 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}}

In August 2014, Shazam announced the launch of Resonate, a sales product that allows TV networks to access its technology and user base. The news included the announcement of partnerships with AMC, A&E, Dick Clark Productions and Fuse.

Shazam announced a 2015 partnership with Sun Broadcast Group on Shazam for Radio, a new offering that will allow radio stations to push customised content to listeners on Sun Broadcast's over 8,000 radio stations in the US.{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/10/09/shazam-makes-big-move-interactive-radio-content|title=Shazam Makes a Big Move into Interactive Radio Content|first=Napier|last=Lopez|publisher=Thenextweb.com|date=9 October 2014|access-date=15 June 2015|archive-date=13 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213171827/http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/10/09/shazam-makes-big-move-interactive-radio-content/}}

In December 2016, Shazam announced a partnership with social media application Snapchat.{{Cite news|url=http://news.shazam.com/pressreleases/shazam-announces-integration-with-snapchat-1691669|title=Shazam Announces Integration with Snapchat|publisher=Shazam Newsroom|date=13 December 2016|access-date=14 December 2016|archive-date=2 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502142609/http://news.shazam.com/pressreleases/shazam-announces-integration-with-snapchat-1691669|url-status=dead}} The new feature comes as part of the latest Snapchat update and integration with Shazam, which allows Snapchat users to use Shazam's Music information retrieval technology by pressing and holding the camera screen.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/13/13936586/shazam-now-inside-snapchat-update|title=You can now Shazam a song from within Snapchat|author=Natt Garun|publisher=The Verge|date=13 December 2016|access-date=14 December 2016}}

Shazam first made a profit in 2016, 16 years after its founding and 14 years after its product launch.

In December 2017, Apple Inc. announced its acquisition of Shazam for a reported $400 million (£300 million).{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42299207|title=Apple 'to buy Shazam for $400m'|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-12-10}} On 23 April 2018 the European Commission stated that it would be reviewing the acquisition.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43871576|title=Apple's Shazam deal faces European probe|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-04-23}} The European Commission approved the acquisition on 6 September 2018 and the deal was completed on 24 September 2018.{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/06/eu-approves-apple-acquisition-of-music-discovery-app-shazam|title=EU approves Apple acquisition of music discovery app Shazam|date=6 September 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/09/apple-acquires-shazam-offering-more-ways-to-discover-and-enjoy-music|title=Apple acquires Shazam, offering more ways to discover and enjoy music|work=Apple Newsroom|access-date=2018-09-24|language=en-US}}

Shazam's initial $7.5M in venture capital investment, in September 2001, came from Lynx New Media, IDG Ventures Europe, and FLV, a Belgian speech-recognition investment fund.

In September 2012, Shazam raised a US$32 million round of funding.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/22/shazam-raises-a-huge-round-to-the-tune-of-32-million|title=Shazam Raises A Huge Round to the Tune of $32 Million|last=Kincaid|first=Jason|date=22 June 2011|newspaper=TechCrunch|access-date=20 September 2012}} In July 2013, América Móvil invested US$40 million in Shazam for an undisclosed share,{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/97d2c46a-e58d-11e2-8d0b-00144feabdc0.html|title=Carlos Slim invests $40m in music app Shazam|date=7 July 2013|work=Financial Times|url-access=subscription}} which helped put their technology in the hands of millions of users in Latin America.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/88df8fa6-893e-11e3-bb5f-00144feab7de|title=Shazam: the app that calls the tune|last1=Jacobs|first1=Emma|website=Financial Times|date=31 January 2014 |access-date=13 December 2023}} In March 2014, Shazam confirmed another US$20 million in new funding, raising the total value of the company to US$500 million.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/5930359/shazam-confirms-20m-in-new-funding-raising-value-to-500m|title=Shazam Confirms $20M in New Funding, Raising Value to $500M|magazine=Billboard|date=10 March 2014|access-date=15 June 2015}} The company's earlier backers include European venture capital firm DN Capital, which invested in Shazam in 2004.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/09/01/londons-dn-capital-closes-200-million-fund|title=London's DN Capital Closes $200 Million Fund|department=Digits (blog)|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=1 September 2014}}

In May 2009, Tune Hunter accused Shazam of violating {{US Patent|6941275}}, which covers music identification and purchase in a portable device.{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10241309-37.html|title=Apple, AT&T, Samsung, Verizon, and others sued over Shazam app|last=Ogg|first=Erica|publisher=CNET|date=14 May 2009|access-date=29 September 2012|archive-date=7 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107040140/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10241309-37.html|url-status=dead}} Shazam settled the case in January 2010.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/01/06/shazam-tune-hunter-settlement|title=Shazam Settles Patent Infringement Case With Tune Hunter|last=Wauters|first=Robin|date=6 January 2010}}

• ACRCloud
• Axwave
• Beat Shazam, a television game show where contestants compete to identify songs faster than the app
• Bing Audio identification
• Firefly by Amazon
• Gracenote
• Sony TrackID
• SoundHound

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/appsblog/2013/feb/27/shazam-tv-advertising-future|title=Shazam: 'TV advertising is going to become our primary revenue stream'|last=Dredge|first=Stuart|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 February 2013|access-date=February 27, 2013|location=London}}
• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LaHiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14|title=Startups in Action: The critical Year One choices that built Etsy, HotelTonight, Fiverr and more|last1=Silva|first1=JP|date=2020|pages=14–24|publisher=Apress |isbn=978-1-4842-5787-6 }}

• {{Official website|https://www.shazam.com|Shazam}} – official site
• [https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/top-100-shazams-of-all-time/pl.8ba78a4a65cc4530bcfdfc5154385c29 Shazam] – track ranking at Apple Music
• {{cite web|url=https://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/papers/Wang03-shazam.pdf|title=An Industrial-Strength Audio Search Algorithm|series=International Conference on Music Information Retrieval (ISMIR)|first=Avery Li-Chun|last=Wang|date=2003|citeseerx=10.1.1.217.8882}}
• {{cite web|url=http://coding-geek.com/how-shazam-works|title=How does Shazam work|first=Christophe|last=Mawata|website=Coding Geek|date=23 May 2015|access-date=28 May 2018|archive-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710041442/http://coding-geek.com/how-shazam-works|url-status=dead}}

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