Apple Acquires Shazam and Its Song-Recognition App -- Update
11 Dezembro 2017 - 5:52PM
Dow Jones News
By Tripp Mickle
Apple Inc. said it has acquired Shazam Entertainment Ltd.,
giving it ownership of one of the popular song-recognition apps at
a time the iPhone maker is looking to boost its music-subscription
service.
Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
Apple said Monday it has "exciting plans" for Shazam but
declined to disclose more. Shazam said Apple would enable it to
"continue innovating."
The acquisition gives Apple ownership of an app that helps users
identify unfamiliar songs. Users are often directed to listen to
those songs at Apple Music or Spotify, helping those services
possibly reach new subscribers. Such referrals could help Apple
boost the number of subscribers to its streaming-music service from
its current 30 million. Spotify AB says its service has 60 million
paid subscribers.
Shazam, which made its debut as an app in 2008, also gives Apple
access to extensive data and insight on people's musical interests.
It has been able to use its insights in the past to predict the
"songs of summer," insights gleaned from user searches that could
help Apple put together playlists for streaming-music
subscribers.
"If you have the direct integration of Shazam as part of Apple,
and people find out what a song is [by] using Apple, then they go
buy it using Apple. It creates a full ecosystem," said Brian Zisk,
the executive producer of the SF MusicTech Summit, an annual
conference.
Apple has ceded some ground in the music business in recent
years. The combination of its iTunes store, where songs were
available for 99 cents, and its iPod, which revolutionized portable
music, allowed Apple to take a commanding lead in the business.
However, the rise of smartphones led many consumers to transition
from buying music to subscribing to services that provide it.
Apple didn't launch its own streaming service until 2015,
roughly four years after Spotify began offering a premium
subscription service in the U.S.
The battle over music is taking on new significance with the
rise of smart speakers, such as Amazon.com Inc.'s Echo and Alphabet
Inc.'s Google Home. Those speakers use virtual assistants to
identify songs or artists on request. They can also change the
music based on verbal requests such as, "Play something more
upbeat."
Apple is launching its first smart speaker, the HomePod, next
year after delaying its planned December release because the device
wasn't ready. It has billed the HomePod as a high-quality speaker
with better sound than rivals, and touted its ability to do things
like name the drummer in a particular song.
Amazon is elbowing into the music industry behind its Echo
device. It's increasingly selling digital songs and albums and
adding subscribers to its own streaming-music service, Prime
Music.
"It's really a battle between Amazon and Apple, and they're
looking for an edge," Mr. Zisk said.
Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, has been using Shazam to allow
users to identify songs on request since 2014.
Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 11, 2017 14:37 ET (19:37 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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