SHAZAM: SUMMER HITS AND THE NEW AGE OF CALLOUT
Last summer’s Shazam picks included "Blurred Lines, "Get Lucky" and Passenger’s "Let Her Go," so perhaps you should pay attention.
We talked to Szabo about the list, the app and what’s on the horizon.
Ariana Grande f/Iggy Azalea, "Problem"
Szabo notes that the popularity of rapper Iggy Azalea is helping add momentum to Republic siren Grande’s track, "which is proving to be huge with Shazam users."
Sam Smith, "Stay With Me"
"Sam Smith has had one of the biggest buzzes in the office here for two or three months," notes Szabo, who calls Capitol’s soulful singer/songwriter "an artist to watch for the year." Factoring in his guest spots on the hits "Latch"(by Disclosure) and "La La La" (by Naughty Boy), Smith’s vocals have been Shazamed more than 15 million times; "Stay With Me" has spiked dramatically in the last week as it takes root at radio.
Luke Bryan, "Play It Again"
"This is absolutely the standout country song" among Shazam users, Szabo says of the Capitol Nashville star’s hit.
Nico & Vinz, "Am I Wrong"
We’ve been tracking Warner Bros.’ Norwegian-bred breakout (which was a global hit first) for a while now. "The trajectory of the track in the U.S. is going steeply upward," says Szabo.
Oliver Heldens, "Gecko"
An instrumental EDM club giant in Europe, this one is going mainstream on the Continent thanks to a vocal version—though Szabo notes that tracks without vocals frequently fly up the Euro charts in a way they’re not yet able to do stateside.
Clean Bandit, "Rather Be"
A U.K. giant that’s dominated BBC Radio 1 and European phones, this EDM juggernaut has been Shazamed more than 10 million times. "It’s rare you get to #1 on the global Shazam chart with no U.S. airplay," notes Szabo. "We’re pumped to see what happens when it breaks here. If it has half the trajectory it had in Europe it’ll be a massive smash and be on the airwaves all summer."
Secondcity, "I Wanna Feel"
Another EDM track that’s a monster in the U.K., this one will likely feature prominently at the notorious foam parties of Ibiza.
Teeflii f/2 Chainz, "24 Hours"
"It’s a completely underground hit that’s been Shazamed over 100k times," observes Szabo of the Epic artist’s follow-up to "This D." "That’s extremely rare without popular airplay. In 24 hours it picked up speed and hit our radar."
5 Seconds Of Summer, "Don’t Stop"
The Aussie pop-rock band’s new one took iTunes by storm last week, along with pre-orders for their full-length album. Szabo notes that "Don’t Stop" has a "higher trajectory" than the band’s "She Looks So Perfect." We expect 5SOS’ stadium tour with One Direction to make "Don’t Stop" big at every stop.
Ed Sheeran, "Sing"
The Brit’s latest, Szabo points out, has been tagged more than 1 million times.
It’s tempting, in our heavily formatted, niche-marketed landscape, to imagine that these songs in various genres are appealing to separate audiences. "Shazam users are music lovers, whether it’s hip-hop, pop, country or rock," Szabo insists. "We have all sorts of genres covered. The same people might Shazam Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Ludacris."
We’re always thinking about how we can help the music industry with data," says the exec, who worked in radio for 12 years. "We’re developing tools that will allow radio teams at labels better use that info, as well as PDs themselves, artists and management companies."
Often, Szabo asserts, PDs will start playing a song one day and the next day hit the explore section of the Shazam app to see if it reacted--not just in that market but in surrounding communities.
"The way Shazam has become the de facto way to identify music," he adds, "some people call it the new age of callout—it’s the immediate passion-based reaction. You don’t take out your phone from your pocket if you don’t like that song. You know by how many people Shazam Phantogram in L.A. that KYSR has a hit on their hands."
The way the app has been used beyond identification suggests an array of new possibilities, he relates. Demi Lovato announced via socials that her tour would be stopping in markets where her single "Neon Lights" got the most Shazams. "Her fans are absolutely nuts," Szabo marvels. "We got over 850k Shazams the first day."
Linkin Park’s new track was premiered in the Shazam news feed—but only to people who had Shazamed Linkin Park in the past. Shazam is also frequently used even when users know what the song is—to "bookmark" it for later purchase.
Shazam’s data team has been fine-tuning its recommendation filters, increasing the likelihood of breaking new acts by sending them directly to people who’ve tagged similar songs.
Another recently introduced feature is Auto Shazam, an "always on" option for iOS users that tags every song played and moves it into a freestanding list. Users can later go into the last and move the songs they like into their MyShazam list. In addition to car safety, the feature extends the app’s musical reach, as it can grab everything played in a movie, on TV, in a club, at a party or during a day at the mall.
Shazam now boasts 470 million users worldwide, and shows little sign of slowing down. Which means no matter which songs dominate this summer, we can be pretty sure how people will be identifying them.
