Apple buys song-recognition app Shazam

Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple’s digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones.

The companies didn’t disclose the price of the acquisition announced on Monday. Technology news site Recode previously reported Apple is paying about $400 million for Shazam, citing three unidentified people familiar with the deal.

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SCI-TECH GADGETS
GADGETS Apple buys song-recognition app Shazam
Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple's digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones.
AP
SAN FRANCISCO , DECEMBER 12, 2017 08:34 IST
UPDATED: DECEMBER 12, 2017 08:36 IST
Apple has bought Shazam, the maker of a song-recognition app that Apple’s digital assistant Siri has already been using to help people identify the music playing on their iPhones.

The companies didn’t disclose the price of the acquisition announced on Monday. Technology news site Recode previously reported Apple is paying about $400 million for Shazam, citing three unidentified people familiar with the deal.

Apple Inc. issued a statement describing Shazam as “natural fit” with its services.

“We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam,” Apple said. The Cupertino, California, company declined to say whether Shazam’s app will still be available after the deal closes.

Some of Shazam’s features conceivably could be blended into Apple’s music streaming services, which has accumulated more than 27 million subscribers since the company created it in 2015.

Siri began drawing upon Shazam’s technology to answer questions about songs as part of a 2014 update to the iPhone’s operating system.

The Shazam deal marks Apple’s biggest acquisition in music since paying $3 billion for Beats Electronics’ line of headphones and music service in 2014.