Shazam to power nightly program on Australian broadcast radio

Shazam logo canvasShazam has moved into the Australian broadcast realm thanks to a partnership with Southern Cross Austereo. The parties have created a nightly show called Shazam Top 20 that will count down the most-tagged songs in Australia. According to the press release, fans who have the Shazam app on their phones will be directly influencing the charts. Calling the arrangement “a world-first,” Shazam’s APAC Sales Director Steve Sos said that the fan-guided radio show was a natural extension of the sound-identification app’s service.

Most new web and digital music services seem focused on the disruption of traditional media. Considering its past efforts to launch a label with Warner Music and help drive music downloads during the Grammys, Shazam is taking an alternative path of working with broadcast media outlets rather than supplanting them. This approach could help reaffirm Shazam’s connections to both listeners and the music industry.

Anna Washenko