Fast growing music discovery service Shazam today announced it will partner with Saavn, the Indian music streaming service. The partnership will allow Indian listeners to discover new artists via Shazam’s music-identification mobile app in conjunction with Saavr’s library of over 1 million South Asian songs.
The collaboration serves as yet another sign of Shazam’s aggressive expansion in the ‘second-screen’ space. Last month, the company opened an Asia Pacific office in Sydney to specialize in TV advertising: users can see a product on TV and make a purchase through the app. Not long before that, Shazam partnered with the Brit Awards (the UK equivalent of the Grammys), allowing audiences at home to use the app during the broadcast in order to access bonus behind-the-scenes content.
Shazam’s partnership with the music streaming service confirms that in addition to broadening its sociality and functionality, the firm will continue to expand its international user base. In a recent press release the firm announced that it expects a 98 percent growth in the Indian music industry over the next five years. Considering the region’s large population, its fast-growing music industry, and its rampant piracy, Shazam has made it clear that it doesn’t fear the challenges of localization in a developing country.
The exclusive deal with Shazam also marks strategic move Saavn’s part. Amidst heated competition from Gaana and Dhingana, two other leading players in India’s streaming music market, Shazam’s promise of social integration, and possibly giveaways, could give users an incentive to switch to Saavn.
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Astute tech watchers in India may have seen the signs early – we found a television ad for Airtel via Medianama broadcast last February encouraging consumers to “Shazam” the ad in exchange for free gifts.
Shazam claims to provide its music-identification service to 300 million users in over 200 countries worldwide. It also gains over 2 million new users each week. In recent months, it has aggressively developed its social functionality, with features letting users share what they listen to on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, as well as discovering what music nearby Shazam users are playing.
Image credit via scubabrett22/Flickr
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