"Shazam Entertainment brings music recognition to Windows Mobile 5.0 powered smartphones..."

06 April 2006

Shazam Entertainment today announced the first in-device music recognition solution for Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 powered smartphones. The application, called TagIt!, enables users to 'tag' a music track and identify it using Shazam's powerful signature extraction technology. Running on the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform, Shazam has been able to deliver an innovative client version of its TagIt! software significantly improving recognition speed and accuracy, and delivering opportunities for operator up-sell based on the music tagged.

TagIt! uses the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform to calculate the complex Shazam fingerprint on the device, from the full quality audio; this dramatically improves the ability to handle high background noise and thereby increases recognition rates, compared to sending compressed audio over the air. The reduction in the amount of information sent to Shazam's server also increases the speed, of identification. Overall, TagIt! increases the recognition rate by an order of magnitude and presents higher ARPU potential for both music recognition and follow-on products.

In addition to the music recognition functionality TagIt! provides an extensible framework, offering users the chance to purchase follow-on products at the point of inspiration including ringtones, wallpapers, concert tickets and full track downloads. This increases the transactional power of the service and delivers additional revenue streams by broadening the mobile content on offer.

Information on the tracks tagged by the user and related products can be catalogued and stored on a personalised area on the Shazam music portal, bringing together the mobile and online domains. The in-device functionality also means that users have the flexibility to tag a song immediately, or store tags for identification later, for instance when out of network coverage.

Andrew Fisher, CEO of Shazam said, "This is a significant development for Shazam - fingerprinting in-device is clearly the next stage in the evolution of our pioneering technology and for Microsoft to recognise our potential as a force in mobile music recognition is a huge accolade. We have the expertise within the company to bring a faster, more accurate and more rewarding service to the mobile user and this is only the initial step into in-device music recognition solutions."

Peter Bernard, group product manager, Mobile and Embedded Devices, Microsoft Corp. said, "Shazam has illustrated that a powerful, robust software platform enables innovation in the ecosystem. Using the media capabilities of the Windows Mobile platform they have been able to raise the bar on an already innovative technology and in doing so create new mobile operator opportunities."

The TagIt! service is written in .Net, and can be white labelled and integrated into any network and carrier environment worldwide, allowing international access to Shazam's database of over three million tracks. Shazam already powers music recognition services in 19 countries worldwide across 51 mobile carriers.

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