Apple has reportedly acquired a machine learning music analytics company called Asaii. Axois first reported the deal, which would bolster the back-end offerings for artists in Apple Music. Asaii specializes in the discovery of new and emerging artists based on its assessments of music service and social media data. It also has algorithms for making music recommendations. Sources said the deal is valued at less than $100 million. Asaii announced last month that it planned to shut down its operations on October 14, which hints that the acquisition story is correct.

If confirmed, this deal may be motivated by Apple’s desire to compete with Spotify in artist services. Spotify has expanded its options for unsigned artists to manage their own presence and distribution on the platform. Asaii’s services could help Apple to improve its playlist recommendations as well as providing more insights for performers.