JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Google buys Songza streaming music service

Google buys Songza streaming music service

Wednesday, July 02, 2014, 08:26 GMT+7

Google on Tuesday said that it has bought Songza, a free online streaming music service that recommends tunes based on what people might be in the mood to hear.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but unconfirmed online reports valued the deal at around $15 million.

"We're thrilled to announce that we're becoming part of Google," Songza said on its website.

"We can't think of a better company to join in our quest to provide the perfect soundtrack for everything you do."

Songza added that no immediate changes were planned for the free service, other than making it faster, smarter, and "even more fun to use."

Songza suggests playlists based on where people are and what they are doing, such as starting a day at home; grinding away at an office, or out exercising.

It has applications tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple or Google-backed Android software.

Songza features that have resonated with users will be woven into Google Play Music and YouTube where possible, the California-based technology titan said in a post at its Google+ social network.

"They've built a great service which uses contextual expert-curated playlists to give you the right music at the right time," Google said.

New York-based Songza has been likened to Pandora, which has a leading ad-supported streaming music model.

Google, Amazon and Apple have music services that compete in a market where Pandora and Spotify have found success.

Apple in May bought Beats Music and Beats Electronics in a deal worth $3 billion to bolster its position in the hotly contested online music sector.

The move is expected to help the US tech giant -- a pioneer in digital music with its wildly popular iTunes platform -- ramp up its efforts to counter the successful models of streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and others.

AFP

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Vietnamese youngster travels back in time with clay miniatures

Each work is a scene caught by Dung and kept in his memories through his journeys across Vietnam

Latest news