The Numbers Behind Music Recognition App Shazam

Staying true to its often-stated connection to music culture, Apple is reportedly close to acquiring Shazam, a popular music recognition app. According to sources quoted by TechCrunch, Apple will pay roughly $400 million in the deal that is supposed to be signed this week.

Founded in 1999, Shazam launched its first music recognition service exclusively in the UK in 2002. Back then, its users had to dial a short number on their mobile phone to get music recognized. Having debuted in the United States in 2004, the service’s big break didn’t come until 2008, when the company released its first smartphone app. As our chart illustrates, Shazam’s user base has grown rapidly since then, reaching 750 million users by October 2015. Shazam’s mobile app has been a regular in the iOS and Android app download charts for years and by September 2016, it had been downloaded more than a billion times.

Despite the fact that Shazam can also recognize TV shows, movies or other content by now, it is more than likely that Apple is after its music smarts first and foremost. Shazam has been known to drive a significant portion of worldwide music downloads in the past and it will likely do the same for Apple Music.