Shazam, a London-based startup that lets you discover music with mobile applications, just announced some major news.
The company provides an audio discovery application for iPhones, Android, BlackBerry and some Nokia phones. It’s one of the most stunning and useful pieces of software I have ever used and I must say I’m in love with the app. Have you ever wondered the title of the song playing on the radio or in a club? Well with Shazam there’s no need to ask the DJ or call your friend saying “Hey do you know that song that goes lalalala”, you just need to put the phone close to the speakers and Shazam will discover the track for you. I use it at least once per day in my car or in clubs, and it has always worked. Impressive.
Back to the news itself, Shazam announced it has now more than 50 million users which is an increase of 15 million users since February of this year.
The company, which previously raised over $18 million from firms like DN Capital, Acacia Capital and IDG Ventures Europe, is now welcoming aboard Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, backers of Google and Amazon, with an undisclosed amount of money.
“This milestone and the backing of KPCB is a testament to both the success and enormous potential of Shazam,” said Andrew Fisher, CEO of Shazam. “Not only are significantly more people around the world accessing the service every day, they are using it with increased frequency, discovering and acquiring new music and sharing their discoveries with friends all from their mobile phones.”
KPCB has one of the most impressive portfolios ever: AOL, Amazon.com, Citrix, Compaq Computer, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Genomic Health, Google, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Netscape, Lotus, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, VeriSign and Xilinx. The investment is being made from its iFund and will enable the company to continue to expand accessibility of the service around the world by continuing to develop applications for additional mobile platforms and in multiple languages.
“Shazam is profitable and experiencing sustained acceleration in its growth rate. We are delighted to be partnering with KPCB, who join our existing investors Acacia Capital and DN Capital and will help us execute against the significant market opportunity ahead.” concluded the CEO.