Viral Soundtrack: Shazam’s New Feature Reveals Music’s Rise to Fame

Apple has recently introduced a new feature on Shazam that provides an intriguing insight into the way we discover music: Popular Segments.

The Popular Segments feature focuses not only on the songs that are currently popular but also on the specific segments within those songs that are generating the most interest — or at least the segments where people are most likely to use Shazam to identify the music.

This distinction is crucial, as it does not necessarily mean that these are the most listened-to riffs. Instead, it signifies the point at which many listeners find the song intriguing or catchy enough to want to identify it — and perhaps save it for future listening.

“Shazam has always been about connecting fans to music that moves them,” stated Apple Music co-head Ole Obermann in a press release. “With Popular Segments, we’re taking that a step further by revealing the exact moment in a song that captured the listener’s attention, providing artists and the industry with unprecedented insight.”

The Evolution of Shazam

Despite Apple’s acquisition of Shazam in 2018, the company has maintained a degree of separation. While there have been enhancements in iPhone and Apple Music integration, Shazam remains a standalone app for both iOS and Android platforms.

Most users may not even realize that Shazam is an Apple app unless they closely examine it. It largely retains the familiar features of the original Shazam app launched in 2008, with incremental improvements expected even if it had remained independent.

Apple began introducing new features more actively in 2020, including a text-based search feature and a Music Recognition button in the iPhone Control Center. This marked Shazam’s integration into iOS and the Apple ecosystem. Additionally, a web app was launched for identifying songs from any browser.

Subsequent updates have brought concert and tour information, enhanced Mac support, Live Activities for background recognition, and improved playlist integration for discovered songs. Popular Segments is a feature accessible on the web app, offering users on various platforms an engaging music discovery experience.

Currently, the feature is exclusively available on the web app, accessible on desktop and mobile devices by selecting “Charts” and choosing a track. Its availability on the iPhone, iPad, or Android apps is yet to be confirmed.