Shazam announced that it is opening up its verified artist program to any performer or band who wants to participate. The verified artist designation allows that profile to share music discoveries with a fan base. The company has been trialling the verification program for the past two months with about 200 artists. Shazam said that it has an audience of 1.4 billion followers for that first set of verified profiles.
It’s a more social angle to Shazam’s core audio-identification service. “We are creating an engagement that goes beyond a playlist or a recommendation. It’s an organic, one-of-a-kind connection between millions of fans and the artists they love.”
Shazam’s 2014 financial results showed strong audience growth, and it’s possible that this type of social feature could be intended to better cater to that larger number of users. It could also increase engagement, and thus monetization options for the company, which saw increased losses last year.