Shazam allows music fans to identify a song by simply holding their smartphones up for a quick listen, but the company itself has been in operation long before mobile apps became popular.
In fact, Shazam was founded in 1999 and launched its first music identification service in 2002. Initially, users in the UK would dial a phone number, hold their phones up to a speaker for 30 seconds, and receive a text with the song title and artist soon after.
Today, its smartphone app boasts 100 million monthly active mobile users and the company count Google Play, iTunes, Beats and Spotify among its partners.
To mark 15 billion ‘Shazams’, a lush new infographic depicting the service’s history has been produced, as well as a video featuring artists like Maroon 5, Jessie J, Sam Smith, Tinashe, David Guetta and Gerard Way congratulating the London-based firm.
“We’re humbled by the growing size of our community, and our team of 120 scientists and engineers are constantly finding new ways for you to connect to the world around you,” said Shazam via its website.
Shazam image via Shutterstock
