Shazam, a service that allows users to identify songs, movies, TV shows, and commercials from short audio clips has been acquired by Apple. In a statement provided to Tech Crunch, Apple reps stated that since the inception 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 deal is rumored to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million, but that has yet to be confirmed. According to Tech Crunch, Shazam converts users through to other sites to download and listen to the music; it provides more information to users about the music and the artists behind it; and it keeps charts of popular music based on the clips that it hears and that people want to identify. It’s also branched out into more marketing services based on visual recognition — essentially augmented reality plays where users can capture snaps of images that lead them to more content from a brand or another organization.

In November, Shazam reported that it has 175 million active monthly users, 20 million of which are in the United States. Shazam already integrates with Apple Music, referring many of its 100 million users to play songs on the platform. Additionally, Shazam lets users buy music directly via iTunes. It also lets users buy the music directly via iTunes. It seems this partnership was inevitable as Apple continues to search for new ways to create an entirely new experience for music lovers. Shazam might have just has made its way into the streaming space, and a partnership with Apple may create an entirely new experience for music lovers.

REVOLT News | Apple Music and Musical.ly ink new partnership