Today’s headlines will be dominated by Apple Music, but Shazam launched an interesting new feature yesterday. In the latest version of the music identification app, an artist's profile page will display his or her Shazam history to the public. In addition, singers will be able to share their new finds directly with fans who follow them.
In the new era of competing streaming services, the idea of the tastemaker has become even more important—Spotify, Songza, and Apple Music all have “experts” to guide listening. Shazam’s new feature fits in with that trend, but instead of a playlist, you in theory follow your trusted source's song-by-song musical journey. A number of artists are already involved with the program, including Alicia Keys and Usher.
You can watch a promotional video below—Usher has apparently been delving into funk history by Shazaming Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
