Popular music app Shazam is rolling out a new feature that lets users see what big-name artists are, um, Shazaming. The new addition to the app, which comes on the same day that Apple launches its much anticipated music streaming service, lets users discover what tracks are coaxing their favorite artists into hitting the app’s big blue ID button.
Acts that have signed up total just 30 at launch, but they have considerable pull, and more will inevitably join the party over time. Right now you can check tagging information for anyone from American-Cuban rapper Pitbull to Brit soft-rockers Coldplay. The likes of Calvin Harris, Linkin Park, and Alicia Keys will also show off their Shazams, as will One Direction, Mariah Carey, and Pearl Jam.
The free cross-platform app already lets you follow artists, though till now their profile pages only showed their top songs and videos. The company will be hoping its latest feature keeps people using the app for longer, a strategy that could ultimately lead to greater ad revenue. It might also help it to pick up a few extra referral sales if Shazam users happen to love what their favorite artists love.
“The biggest artists in the world are also the biggest fans,” Shazam’s chief product officer Daniel Danker said. “They use Shazam every day to explore new music, and for the first time ever, their fans can share in those moments as they happen.”
The update, which lands today for both iOS and Android devices, will also start showing how many times a track has been Shazamed, and brings with it a new Apple Music button giving users an additional streaming service to choose from should they wish to listen to the entire track.
London-based Shazam launched its music ID service in 2002, though it wasn’t until the arrival of the iPhone in 2007 that it really took off. Today, more than 500 million users around the world Shazam some 20 million tracks a day.
