Spotify acquires WhoSampled to enhance music discovery features
What's the story
Spotify has announced its acquisition of WhoSampled, a community-driven database that tracks sampled music. The deal includes both the WhoSampled team and its extensive database. London-based WhoSampled, which was launched in 2008, boasts an impressive collection of over 1.2 million songs and nearly 622,000 samples. The platform also offers information on covers, remixes, artists, and more.
Data integration
WhoSampled's data powers Spotify's new features
The acquisition comes as Spotify plans to use WhoSampled's extensive database for its new music discovery tool, SongDNA. The two companies have worked together since 2016, when WhoSampled integrated with Spotify to let users access their playlists and saved tracks on its app. Despite the acquisition, WhoSampleD has assured that its standalone platform and brand will continue after the deal is finalized.
Future plans
Promising improvements post-acquisition
After the acquisition, WhoSampleD has promised some user-facing improvements as it integrates into Spotify's larger business. These include faster moderation times for submissions, removal of display ads on the site in the coming weeks, and making its mobile apps free downloads with free subscriptions. The company said in a statement that "through our recent discussions with Spotify, it became clear that we share a strong belief in the power of musical context."