Shazam seals airplay tracking deal in the US
May 2004
Shazam seals airplay tracking deal in the US
* Transforming the efficiency of 'non-feature' music monitoring and royalty
reporting
* Systems fully operational for this summer's major network broadcasts
* Targeting the $300 million a year non-feature music industry with the first music
identification and recognition solution of its kind
Shazam Entertainment, the pioneering UK-based audio technology company, today
announced a three-year contract with US-based AudioAudit for the monitoring of
non-feature music performances, music played in the background to enhance TV and radio
broadcast. The deal will bring new levels of accuracy and efficiency to the 300
million dollar 'non-feature' music industry.
In the first deal of its kind, Shazam will begin its work alongside AudioAudit - a
leading provider of broadcast verification technology services for the advertising,
cable and broadcast industries - using its unique proprietary music identification
technology based on fingerprints. Shazam won a competitive pitch on the grounds of its
ability to demonstrate the highest accuracy, scalability and noise resilience, even
against high volume voiceovers. Shazam will provide the recognition technology whilst
AudioAudit will deliver the derivative analytical tools and royalty systems.
The contract, initially spanning a three-year period, will monitor non-feature music
played on large US television networks. This is the first time a broadcast monitoring
solution of this type has been implemented, stretching to all broadcasts transmitted
throughout the US and covering an anticipated audience of more than 100 million
people. The Shazam/AudioAudit system will help composers, songwriters and publishers
claim their royalties with accurate reports. In turn, television networks will also be
able to efficiently report usage of non feature music performances in an accurate and
timely manner never before realised.
Philip Inghelbrecht, Business Director at Shazam, comments: "AudioAudit has the best
music reporting tools and strong ties with US broadcasters. We are delighted to work
with them and help television networks report the use of library music on their
channels. This is a milestone deal for Shazam and a clear demonstration of our
technology superiority when it comes to attaining noise-resilience and scalability."
Paul Hummel, CEO AudioAudit, added: "Providing timely and accurate airplay data for
non-feature or library music has long been a challenge to this industry, but the
revolution made possible by Shazam's technology looks set to change this. We look
forward to working alongside Shazam to continue to develop our technologies."
Scott Schreer, Freeplay Music Corp President and CEO, says: "Working with Shazam's
fingerprinting technology and Audio Audits strong analytic platform combined with our
automated music cue sheet application is the strongest offering for the industry of
its kind anywhere in the world"
Shazam already boasts a world's first in music recognition technology, and has
successfully introduced a consumer service to twelve countries, including the UK, and
has attracted more than a million users. Shazam's technology allows music fans to use
any mobile phone to identify a track, simply by pointing it at the music source and
dialling a short code (e.g. 2580 in the UK or 44933 in Italy). The user receives an
SMS 'tag' within seconds, giving details of title and artist. In the UK alone,
consumers have already 'tagged' many millions of tracks.
About AudioAudit
AudioAudit is a provider of innovative, patented technology products that create new
standards of accountability and communication in the advertising and broadcast
industries. The company's family of automated digital solutions are specifically
designed for the accurate capture, retention, and reporting of transmitted encoded
broadcast content - dramatically reducing the human error created by manual broadcast
tasks. Its flagship technology platform, AdVantage(r), offers unique media
verification capabilities while enabling customers to increase productivity,
operational efficiency, and accuracy. AudioAudit's products help streamline business
processes unique to the advertising and broadcast industries, including coop reporting
and activity tracking. For more information about AudioAudit's business solutions,
please visit www.audioaudit.com.
About Shazam Entertainment
Shazam Entertainment boasts a world's first in music recognition technology. The
company's core strength is audio recognition, based on a technology invented and
developed exclusively for Shazam. The company has filed a number of patents to protect
its intellectual property.
Since the company's UK launch in August 2002, the service allows music fans to use
their mobile phone to identify any track using just their handset. In the UK alone,
consumers have 'tagged' many millions of tracks.
Shazam has already begun establishing a global footprint and has achieved multiple
deals with international mobile operators and media companies throughout Europe and
Asia. These deals will mean that Shazam's technology will be available to 1 billion
mobile users worldwide.
Shazam's successes have been recognised through several awards, including: Best New
Mobile Service at the Mobile Choice Awards, Best Innovation at the BT Openworld
Interactive Music Awards, Web Innovation of the Year at the Future UK Internet Awards,
Best start-up at the Revolution Awards, an Ericsson Mobile Application Award, and the
Media Week Response Campaign of the year.
Investors in the company include IDG Ventures Europe (part of IDG - the world's
largest IT media company), DN Capital (a leading pan-European venture capital firm),
Lynx New Media (a Virgin & Bear Stearns company), Sir Colin Southgate (former CEO and
Chairman of EMI Group), Phil Wiser (CTO Sony Music), and John Preston (former Chairman
of BMG UK and BPI).
For press enquiries contact:
Lisa Allen / Sally Welsh at Nelson Bostock Communications
PH: + 44 (0) 20 7229 4400
EMAIL: lisa.allen@nelsonbostock.com
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