Apple buys music recognition service Shazam

Apple has confirmed its speculated acquisition of the music streaming service, Shazam. The deal was first reported by Vox Media’s Recode, and will set the firm back $400 million. This acquisition will build up Apple’s music portfolio, which currently includes the long-running iTunes, Apple Music (which evolved from Beats Music when Apple acquired the eponymous firm), and its headphone business. It is expected that the firm will make use of Shazam’s music recognition technology to further develop Siri and Apple Music.

An Apple spokesperson told 9to5Mac today:

We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.

Shazam is currently available for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, it is currently unknown whether Apple will continue to support these apps post-acquisition. Apple has promised to bring its iTunes app to Windows 10, but has yet to fulfil its promise as the clock ticks towards 2018.