Apple finalizes Shazam acquisition and vows to remove ads

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Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018
Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed its acquisition of Shazam is now complete, nine months after it was first announced.

The company’s first move will be to rid the music service, which is used more than 20 million times every single day, of pesky ads that most users have to endure. Later on, Apple promises more great ways to discover and enjoy music.

We first learned of Apple’s plans to buy Shazam last December, with Apple confirming the news just days after rumors began circulating. But fans quickly learned that this wasn’t a simple acquisition that would be wrapped up within a few weeks.

With so much data in Shazam’s grasp, regulators feared that approving Apple’s ownership of the company could breach antitrust rules. Finally, nine months later, the deal is done.

Apple confirms Shazam acquisition

Apple today confirmed its acquisition of Shazam, which it describes as “one of the world’s most popular and highly-rated music apps,” is now complete.

“Shazam was one of the first apps available when we launched the App Store and has become a favorite app for music fans everywhere,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music. “With a shared love of music and innovation, we are thrilled to bring our teams together to provide users even more great ways to discover, experience and enjoy music.”

Apple plans to remove all ads from the service “soon” so that all users can enjoy the best experience Shazam has to offer without interruption. As always, the Shazam app is free to download.

It’s not yet clear what Apple’s plans are for the future of the service — particularly on third-party platforms like Android — but we can almost certainly look forward to closer integration with Apple Music. The insights into our listening habits that the service provides could also lead to improved recommendations.

Shazam has been downloaded over 1 billion times since it made its debut, and is now used more than 20 million times each day, Apple says.

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