Shazam
Audio recognition app for music discovery, developers and brands.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- SHAZAM ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 2000
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Company size
- 201–500
- Market role
- B2C Consumer App / Platform
- Official website
- shazam.com
What Shazam does
Shazam operates a multi-sided platform model built around proprietary audio fingerprinting. It creates consumer value by identifying songs instantly and connecting users to listening and discovery destinations. It extends that core capability into B2B distribution through developer tools, and into advertising through branded interactive experiences tied to music and media. Under Apple ownership, the platform also creates indirect value by increasing engagement with Apple services, especially music consumption and ecosystem retention.
Category differentiation
Shazam is a music recognition and discovery platform, not the DC Comics superhero franchise of the same name. It is also not a music streaming service in the same sense as Spotify or Apple Music, because its core function is identification and discovery.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
SHAZAM ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED, trading as Shazam, operates a consumer music recognition and discovery platform that identifies audio from the user’s environment and returns track metadata, playback links and related discovery features. The service is embedded across Apple’s ecosystem and also extends into third-party apps through ShazamKit, a developer API and SDK that exposes Shazam’s audio recognition infrastructure. The business combines consumer utility with adjacent monetisation and ecosystem functions. It serves consumers directly through a free app, supports developers through API-based recognition tools, and has historically offered advertiser-facing interactive campaign products through Shazam for Brands. Commercial value is created through advertising and branded experiences, while strategically reinforcing Apple Music engagement and broader Apple ecosystem usage.
Business model & monetisation
Shazam monetises through a hybrid model. The consumer app is primarily ad-supported through in-app advertising and sponsored brand experiences. The company has also monetised advertiser demand through interactive branded campaigns and campaign insight products. ShazamKit functions as a platform-extension mechanism for developers and broadens distribution of the recognition engine; its commercial role is strategic and ecosystem-led rather than clearly disclosed as a standalone subscription business. Since the Apple acquisition, indirect monetisation through referral, engagement and conversion into Apple Music and related Apple services is a core economic driver.
- In-app advertising
- Ad-Supported
- Interactive brand campaigns
- Service Fee
- Audience and campaign insight solutions
- Service Fee
- Apple ecosystem referral and service uplift
- Developer API and SDK usage
- Pay-per-Use
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Products & market categories
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
No sufficiently sourced and dated signals are available for this view.
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Questions about Shazam
What is Shazam?
Shazam is a music recognition and discovery platform that identifies songs from ambient audio and returns track metadata, listening links and related discovery features.
Who uses Shazam?
Consumers use Shazam to identify music, developers use ShazamKit to add audio recognition to apps, and brands and agencies use its advertising products for interactive campaigns.
How does Shazam make money?
Shazam makes money through in-app advertising, branded campaign solutions and indirect ecosystem value by driving engagement into Apple services such as Apple Music.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
24 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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