Apple buys Shazam leading up to HomePod release

The popular iOS app Shazam will soon be part of Apple. Apple says it has "exciting plans in store" as it combines with Shazam to deliver new services to Apple Music. Shazam delivers the names and lyrics of songs, TV shows and other content just by listening to audio clips. With Apple's HomePod launch on the horizon, deep Shazam integration would bring even more functionality to the premium in-home speaker.

Apple released a statement confirming the deal:

"We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today's agreement."

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, however TechCrunch reports the acquisition cost sits around $400 million. Shazam is already integrated with other services, delivering users who have identified content to options such as Spotify, Apple Music and Snapchat. Apple's overlap with Shazam's business could be a significant boost to Apple Music, Siri and the HomePod itself.

Shazam also joined the party, dropping the following words:

"We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple. Shazam is one of the highest rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we can't imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users."

Shazam for iOS first launched in 2008, with the birth of the App Store. Since then, Shazam has consistently been one of the leading free apps. In fact, Shazam hit one billion total downloads in September 2016. Time will tell how Apple integrates Shazam into its services, including on the upcoming HomePod next year.