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new horizonsTHE IRISH MUSIC discovery platform Soundwave has been acquired by Spotify.
The deal will see the Dublin-based startup integrating and partnering with the service, using its database of music knowledge to help users find new music faster and help new users get up and running faster. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
For its co-founder and CEO Brendan O’Driscoll, the deal will allow it to expand and improve their music discovery capabilities.
“In broad strokes, [the reason] behind the acquisition was our in-depth understanding to analyse listening patterns and help users discover new music,” said O’Driscoll. “I know that’s something that Spotify is keen on getting better at and bolstering their capabilities”.
We would have always felt that our technology, as well as powering our own consumer app, would be very advantageous for streaming services … that this would be of benefit to those guys and what has happened we’re delighted with.
The app was founded in 2012 by O’Driscoll, Aidan Sliney and Craig Watson and has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times in 150 countries.
It developed partnerships with both Apple and Google, featuring as an editors’ choice in their respective app stores, and was compatible with a number of music services like Spotify, Deezer and YouTube.
Its main draw was the ability to see what people around you were listening to. By drawing a circle around an area, it would show you what other people with the app were listening to in that location. From that, it’s built up a database of listening habits in 150 different countries.
Spotify has been slowly moving into the live scene by offering personalised concert recommendations for users and it’s something that Soundwave’s location-based service can tie into.
O’Driscoll mentioned there was potential for its technology to be used for ticketing and concerts since it has a “good comprehension of different flavours and different tastes in a country-by-country basis,” but there are no plans to do this yet.
Instead, the focus is on growing the business and taking advantage of the large audience and catalogue Spotify already has. The service has 75 million active users – of those, 20 million pay for the service – and 30 million songs on its catalogue.
The sheer scale of it is overwhelming, the millions and millions of users it brings. We’re partnering with the number one music streaming service in the world, the highest user figures, making the biggest impact … it allows us to achieve our goals faster.
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The ‘who killed your granny’ budget
@John F doe: The “fix Britain after 14 years of the Tories” budget
@Anthony Curran: by killing off the elderly? I know you shinners have a low value on life but this is disgraceful
@John F doe:
A quick Google search will show you just what the tories thought of the elderly…Savage cuts to resources for vulnerable people..
@John F doe: if SF get in this is exactly what will be facing us if not worse.
I wonder will Ireland be loaning money to the U.K.? As the loaned money to us when we were in a very dire state but we still are unfortunately.
@Tommy: we should absolutely help our wonderful nearest and dearest if needs be, they did it for us
@John F doe: dearest?
@Tommy: Economics clearly isn’t your strong suit.
@John F doe: In fairness they provided jobs for the Irish for decades, and still do, not that we need them as much these days.
@Tommy: let’s go Tommy Robinson
@John F doe: And maybe charge them an outlandish rate of interest like they did to us !!
Mad how the Torys can do whatever they like, recklessly destroy the economy BUT Labour oOOoooo ‘pure evil’… politics is truly pathetic
@Thesaltyurchin: the conservatives never launched an attack on the elderly
@John F doe: You’re absolutely dense.
@John F doe: Are you thick?. What age group do you think uses an underfunded NHS more than any other ?
@Ian: I agree
@John F doe: neither have Labour so what on earth are you talking about?
so she can take the blame when it will backfire
For all those ppl in ireland u say “the government can’t get any worse” of course it can get worse
The Budgies won’t be impressed with a tax hike.
Labour a bit like our own, pretend to be sympathetic and be the voice for the working class, yet when in power, o difficult decisions will have it be made. A conservative landslide is likely when they eventually put in a motion of no confidence against this travesty. Stammer the worst Labour PM since Ramsay MacDonald
@Alan: the Tories ran the country in to the ground for over a decade. That Labour would actually try and fix that by taxing the people that can afford it isn’t the “travesty” you think it is. The Tories are trying to paint this budget as crippling the working class but that’s, once again, is an utter lie.
Yep, how do you tax all the profits from State assets sold for a pittance to cronies and then offshored and shielded from view forever?
The once Great Britain is now little Britain a byproduct off Brexit.
What is this talk of Labour having promised not to raise taxes? Let’s be clear what they promised was not to raid Texas, and so far they have honoured that!
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