Shazam and Warner Music Group to launch a Shazam branded imprint

Shazam and Warner Music Group have announced an alliance which will see the two companies use Shazam’s user-data to discover and sign acts to a Shazam-branded imprint, under WMG.

As Rob Wiesenthal, COO/Corporate, Warner Music Group, points out, it’s “the first crowd-sourced, big data record label”.

The label will use Shazam’s charting and tagging system to identify unsigned acts who are attracting mass interest and, using WMG’s global A&R team and Shazam’s marketing channels, help to break these acts globally. In addition, WMG’s current roster will benefit from Shazam’s deep data analysis, allowing Warner’s marketing managers to tailor specific campaigns based on this information.

There will also be the benefit of a ready-made fanbase who have already ’Shazamed’ the newly-signed artists, effectively allowing the label to be in direct contact with Shazam users that previously showed enough interest in the acts to seek them out – redefining the concept of direct marketing.

Although this is undoubtedly an innovative step, Wiesenthal is quick to point out it will not act as a substitute for actual A&Ring. “While data and crowd sourced analyses will never be a substitute for the expertise and instincts of our A&R professionals”, he states, “we do believe the information we obtain for this new label will provide very useful signals that will bolster our ability to find the stars of tomorrow.”

“We are excited to enter into a next-generation partnership with Warner Music Group” says Shazam CEO Rich Riley. “Every minute of the day, people around the world ’Shazam’ over 10,000 songs, giving us incredible insight into what songs are trending and allowing us to discover future hits. Combining Shazam’s proprietary data with WMG’s A&R expertise will yield fantastic results.”

Mike Caren, President of Worldwide A&R at WMG, adds: “Millions of fans use the Shazam app to discover music, so when a song debuts strongly on the Shazam chart it is an exciting, early indication that it has hit potential. By deepening our relationship with Shazam, this landmark partnership will complement our existing commitment to A&R, create new talent-spotting possibilities, and expand our range of innovative artist development activities.”