Shazam

Being that I just plopped down $5.99 for Shazam Encore, I'm happy to read some fun press about them.

Shazam’s Search for Songs Creates New Music Jobs - NYTimes.com

"Mr. Slomovitz, a music industry veteran, spends his days tracking down hot new artists — but not for a big record label. Instead, he works for Shazam, maker of the application of the same name that can figure out what song is playing in a bar, a clothing boutique or a TV commercial.

‘It’s like a scavenger hunt in real time,’ said Mr. Slomovitz, 42. ‘It never stops.’

Mr. Slomovitz’s job is one of the more unusual in the new digital music era, as he and the dozen or so other ‘music sourcers’ at Shazam try to ensure that any songs the app’s users might want to identify are ready and waiting in the company’s database.

As the major record labels shrink, Shazam and other start-ups are thriving by offering people new ways to discover and listen to music. That is creating new kinds of jobs in the music business, from foragers like Mr. Slomovitz to the developers building software that recommends the perfect song for a particular listener.

‘We used to have D.J.’s, record store clerks and A.& R. types’ — the music industry’s talent scouts — to help discover music, said Paul Lamere, director of the developer community at Echo Nest, which builds music search services. ‘But now, because so much music is available, the challenge is surfacing relevant music to listeners.’"

(Continued... Shazam’s Search for Songs Creates New Music Jobs - NYTimes.com)

That doesn't mean I'm not trying out that other app, SoundHound (only the free version for now).