Aussies Top Shazam List

Music finder software company Shazam has reached a whopping 100 billion song recognitions. To celebrate, Apple Music has launched a playlist in the service’s honour that showcases the top songs people search for on Shazam.

It turns out that people across the globe search for Australian music, with Tones And I’s 2019 megahit, Dance Monkey, topping the list. She’s not alone on the list: Belgian-born, Melbourne-raised Gotye takes second place with the 2011 single, Somebody That I Used To Know, featuring Kimbra.

Elsewhere on the playlist, Adelaide’s own Sia appears at #10 with Cheap Thrills and pops up again halfway through the list with Chandelier. Vance Joy also makes it onto the list with Riptide, while Lorde represents New Zealand with Royals.

You can check out the complete playlist here.

Initially launched in 2002 as an SMS service in the UK, Shazam has changed plenty since the early 2000s. To find songs back then, users would dial 2580, hold their phones up to identify music, and receive the song name and artist via text message.

The program grew in popularity and influence in the years that followed. In 2008, it was propelled even further thanks to the launch of Apple’s App Store and Shazam’s iOS app. By 2011, the software company had recognised over one billion songs.

Apple acquired Shazam in 2018. Upon its acquisition, it was reported that Apple bought the software company for $400 million.

In a statement, Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said of the app’s milestone of reaching over 100 billion song recognitions: “This monumental milestone not only reflects how much people enjoy using Shazam but also their appetite for new music.

“Music discovery is at the core of everything we do, and we keep innovating to make sure music lovers around the world can tap the Shazam button no matter where they hear music playing!”