Music app Shazam gets new Facebook features
Shazam, the mobile application that has enthralled millions of listeners with its ability to detect and identify a song--largely ending the need to Google lyrics--has gotten a little bit more social. Namely, the latest update to its iPhone app (and soon Android app) added Facebook integration, which wouldn't be a terribly big deal except that the social music space continues to be so interesting to watch.Now, when you "tag" a song by running it through the Shazam system to identify it, or just open up the app for browsing purposes, you have an option called "Shazam Friends" that lets you see a feed of songs that your Facebook friends have tagged lately. This makes it significantly easier to navigate friends' individual song discoveries--something that a new music-sharing app that launched to positive buzz at SXSW earlier this month, Soundtracking, has as its centerpiece--and may mean that people will now start spending time on the Shazam app for reasons other than identifying the soundtrack to the local Urban Outfitters store."Our new feature not only allows Shazamers to see what their friends on Facebook are tagging, but they can also listen to the track and go on to purchase it," Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher said in a statement. "Shazam Friends is an exciting new feature for our community of Shazamers, that will make it easier than ever before to learn about new music and share those moments."The app already had basic Facebook and Twitter share buttons (as does a competitor, SoundHound), but basic social-media sharing for music hasn't had the best track record of late--iTunes Ping, after a much-hyped launch, has turned out to be one of Apple's more disappointing product offerings in terms of usage and uptake.Three million songs are "Shazammed" each day, the company said. Its app was initially a free download, but in late 2009 the company restricted the number of songs that could be "tagged" for free and started charging for the full version.
