Filed under: Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, Music
Shazam picking up investors, boasts 50 million users
Shazam is one of the first apps I actually used in context on the iPhone, and while we haven't heard much about the app since it debuted way back in the early days of the App Store, apparently the company itself has been blowing up, thanks to the free app. They've picked up a nice round of investment from venture capitalists, and the service itself now boasts over 50 million users (by comparison, Last.fm claims only 30 million, but they've gotten way more press than Shazam's service, including recent integration on Xbox Live). That's a heck of an achievement, and Apple is a huge part of it -- not only did Shazam make a big splash on their iPhone app, but they say that Apple actually helped connect the VCs and the company together. That's an interesting peek behind the scenes at what Apple is doing for one of the App Store's oldest and most popular free apps.As for why Shazam is so popular, the VCs say they can see the platform as a "springboard" for selling music, advertising, and a few other commodities. Currently Shazam's free app only lets you tag five songs a month (a limit I never hit and thus didn't know about, even though I would say that I do use the app regularly), but they're planning a paid version that will allow unlimited identification of songs through the iPhone's microphone. I don't know how well that will sell (it's hard to believe that people will pay $5 for a service they are already using for free, though perhaps I'm underestimating the amount of music that people want to "tag"), but it's clear that Shazam is a company that is making the absolute best of having an extremely popular free app on the App Store.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shankopotamus said 10:45AM on 10-20-2009
Only 5 tags per month? I’m confused. I just counted and in the last month Shazam has let me tag 51 songs. Am I missing something here?
Reply
Mel said 10:53AM on 10-20-2009
+100% agreed! Misinformation yet again.
Bobnease said 11:14AM on 10-20-2009
Ditto. Big time misinformation!
justin said 11:17AM on 10-20-2009
This posting is not worded correctly. It is currently unlimited but Shazam will be converting to a paid model soon. 5 songs per month or $5 for unlimited.
chumley said 12:12PM on 10-20-2009
When does it change to limited? Will there be an update that you can avoid downloading? I recently "cleaned-up" all my "Untitled" and "Track 01" songs in iTunes using Shazam. It took a while but was an absolute awesome tool for this purpose.
YodaMac said 11:13AM on 10-20-2009
I went back and forth for a bit, and ended up preferring Midomi to Shazam. But that's just me apparently. :)
Reply
Digaos said 11:22AM on 10-20-2009
It's not just you... I don't know why people think Shazam is such a wonder... I believe Erica developed something like that in the pre-Apple store era...
Midomi can tell which music you're singing or humming, not only the ones that play in the radio... Is twice (or three times) the app that Shazam is.
But Shazam appeared on the Apple tv ad, so maybe it has something to do with it...
Digaos said 11:24AM on 10-20-2009
I meant pre AppStore era...
David said 1:43PM on 10-20-2009
-digaos...
probably because its not free?
Reply
App Zealot said 3:04PM on 10-20-2009
Great app, and I have no idea how they intend to make money with either business model: Free or $5/month?
Sure, ad support for a free version might work, but I do not notice adds on web pages, in iPhone apps, or on TV OK, TIVO and Replay fixed that. For the other locations, however, my brain works as a fine editor bypassing them.
I am not sure Shazam delivers value on a subscription basis. It could well join the ranks of other subscription services that deftly avoid a large user and buyer base: All would love everything to be free; most are willing to pay a one-time fee to purchase; and fewer want to pay for a subscription.
Reply