Spotify has acquired music database WhoSampled, which supplies details about music covers, samples and remixes.
The music streaming firm quietly introduced the acquisition in a weblog put up Wednesday (November 18) during which it unveiled plenty of new music credit score options, together with an upcoming ‘SongDNA’ operate for Premium customers, which Spotify mentioned will probably be “powered by WhoSampled, which is now a part of Spotify.”
London-headquartered WhoSampled confirmed in a assertion on its web site that it has been acquired by Spotify.
“This marks an thrilling new chapter in our journey – one the place WhoSampled is not going to solely proceed to develop and enhance, but additionally convey its distinctive taste of music discovery to the world’s largest music streaming platform, used and cherished by lots of of thousands and thousands of followers,” the corporate mentioned.
It didn’t disclose the acquisition’s worth. In a LinkedIn put up, WhoSampled Founder Nadav Poraz mentioned he will probably be taking over the function of Head of WhoSampled at Spotify.
MBW has reached out to Spotify for remark.
Although its database is being built-in into the Spotify platform, WhoSampled mentioned it’ll proceed to operate as a standalone app.
The corporate introduced some instant modifications, together with that its iOS app will now be free to obtain, and in-app subscriptions on each iOS and Android will now be free.
WhoSampled additionally mentioned it’ll change into ad-free “within the coming weeks,” and added that its moderation will probably be quicker, with ready occasions for submissions anticipated to drop “dramatically.”
The corporate added that it will likely be working with Spotify on “enhancing the WhoSampled expertise and constructing thrilling new options.”
WhoSampled’s statistics present its database indexes greater than 1.2 million songs, round 387,000 artists, 622,000 samples and 460,000 covers.
The primary WhoSampled-powered operate on Spotify will probably be SongDNA, an interactive function that maps connections between songs through collaborators, samples and covers. Pattern and canopy knowledge will come from WhoSampled.
It’s a part of a sequence of enhancements to the information on songs obtainable on Spotify. Different enhancements embrace expanded music credit, including session musicians, engineers and different contributors to the credit, which have to this point included solely top-line performers, songwriters and producers.
Spotify can also be planning to roll out ‘Concerning the Tune,’ which will probably be swipeable playing cards that supply in-depth data in regards to the origins of a monitor, such because the inspiration behind it or attention-grabbing tales about its creation.
Spotify has over time used acquisitions to construct and increase its enterprise. In 2021, it purchased audiobook distributor Findaway. Spotify started providing audiobooks in choose markets in 2023.
Additionally as a part of its effort to increase audio choices past music, Spotify acquired a sequence of podcast firms, together with Anchor, Gimlet Media and Parcast.
Over the previous a number of years it has centered on AI-related acquisitions, choosing up AI voice firm in Sonantic in 2022. The next yr, it unveiled an AI-powered voice translation instrument.
Additionally in 2022. Spotify acquired Kinzen, a content material moderation firm that makes use of AI in its know-how. Spotify had been working with the platform since 2020.Music Enterprise Worldwide
