Apple is reportedly on the verge of buying Shazam, the app that helps recognise music tracks, for $400 million. According to unnamed sources quoted in a TechCrunch report, the announcement of the deal could be made official by Monday.
Buying out Shazam might not give a huge boost to Apple’s ambitions in the music arena, but with rivals like Spotify adding more to their armoury, having the support of Shazam’s features could help Apple entice consumers to stick to its own Apple Music platform.
Aided by the phone’s microphone, Shazam is popular for its ability to let you identify music tracks by playing them while using the app. Considering how particular and rigid Apple can be about security, it remains to be seen how Shazam could help Apple strengthen its own base, that is if the deal comes through.
The makers of Shazam, which is based out of London, claim that the app has been downloaded globally on over a billion devices, iOS and Android combined.
Apple has been active in the music and entertainment business for the past of couple years, with the most recent being when it bought Beats for $3 billion in 2014. This enabled Apple to launch Apple Music, which caters to iPhone and Android users, with the former getting the preferential treatment.
The news of Apple looking to buy Shazam is an interesting one, and with features like Discover working like a charm for Spotify, no wonder Apple wants a piece of the feature, which, ironically Shazam’s microphone-enabled technology could offer.
Also Read: Apple to Rival Amazon, Netflix With Original TV Shows & Movies?
Music never runs out of fashion or trend, and with Apple also keen to enter the TV streaming business, with its own line of shows said to be in the pipeline, moves like these could herald Apple’s future in the digital paradigm.
Also Read: Spotify Could Have Netflix-Like Impact on Music in India
Also, Apple rolling out a Spotify competitor could also help them reach out to wide audiences in a market like India, where the latter is yet to make its official bow.
(With IANS inputs)
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