Mobile-to-web music services provider Shazam is celebrating record growth, having announced an increase in end-user traffic of 500% over the past five months. Currently registering one and a half million calls per week, the company says its service has gone from strength to strength and now boasts 11 million unique users. The company is launching services in 25 new countries, giving it coverage across 45 markets in all major territories, including the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and MENA (Middle East & North Africa).
Consolidating its position as a pioneer in mobile music, Shazam has also announced strategic agreements with All Media Guide (AMG) and LyricFind to integrate the worlds leading rich music content, to provide what it describes as the ultimate mobile music experience.
The agreements, which are extensions to Shazams core music recognition service, will provide users with a host of rich information (including artist biographies, album cover art, reviews, pictures and lyrics) on over 4 million tracks and artists. Using this information, music lovers will be able to discover, purchase and interact with music while on the move, all from one application on their mobile phone. They will also be able to manage their historical discoveries, access track charts, purchase follow-on products and share their musical findings with their friends.
Mobile operators are also expected to benefit, with artists and record labels marketing music through mobile operators rather than through more traditional channels, as was the case with Princes decision to release his first single from Planet Earth in North America exclusively with Verizon in May 2007  using Shazams music recognition services.
As operators look towards offering richer content and media, says Shazam, services such as those it provides not only present operators with new revenue streams, but also provide them with new ways of supporting creative entertainment. Shazams agreements with AMG and LyricFind are a case in point, it says. Average monthly usage levels are expected to quadruple as a result of the agreements, giving operators the opportunity to benefit from higher revenues, greater customer loyalty and significantly reduced churn.
We are delighted and proud to have reached this milestone in our history, says Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher. 500% growth in just five months is unprecedented, and not only reflects the maturity of the market, but also the depth of our service in delivering end users the rich music experience they want and need. We are confident that our agreements with AMG and LyricFind will continue our commitment to innovation and support our expanding global footprint.
LyricFind President & CEO Darryl Ballantyne says the company is excited to partner with Shazam.
Not only does it keep us at the forefront of cutting edge music technology, but it also provides us with the chance to reach Shazams 11 million users worldwide, says Ballantyne. Enabling music discovery through lyrics is a natural extension to Shazam and will make an already incredible service even better.
Shazams music recognition service works by dialling 2580, then holding the mobile handset in front of the sound source for 5 to 10 seconds while Shazam identifies the track, using a process based on unique fingerprints. The call disconnects automatically. A few seconds later, you receive a text message with the name of the artist and song title. Having received the music recognition result, users can then choose to buy associated products (ringtones, full track music, wallpapers etc), find out more about the track or artist, or engage with like-minded fans. Customers dont need any additional hardware or software for their mobile phone to use the service, and no user registration is required.
Each successful tag costs 0.50, including VAT, or you can subscribe to the Shazam Tag Club which gives up to 300 successful Tags for 2 per month.