Spotify has announced the acquisition of WhoSampled, the community-run database of sampled music. The streaming service shared the news in a post about its new song credits features.
See also: Recaps: Spotify's new AI feature for audiobooks
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Spotify confirmed that the acquisition includes both the team and the WhoSampled database. WhoSampled, which was launched in 2008 and is based in London, offers an extensive database of songs, samples, covers, remixes, artists and more. According to its website, it now tracks over 1.2 million songs and nearly 622,000 samples. That latest Spotify’s, including its upcoming music discovery tool, SongDNA.
WhoSampled had also partnered with Spotify in 2016, allowing users to access playlists and saved tracks on its app.
See also: Spotify: Listening Stats shows you what you listen to each week
Spotify – WhoSampled deal
In announcement about the acquisition, WhoSampled said its standalone platform and brand will remain after the Spotify deal closes. It also said the partnership is expected to deliver user-facing improvements as it becomes part of Spotify’s larger business. For example, submission turnaround times will be accelerated, the website will remove display ads in the coming weeks, and the mobile apps will be free.
See also: Spotify: Follow venues for details on upcoming concerts
“Through our recent discussions with Spotify, it became clear that we share a strong belief in the power of musical context — and a vision to help listeners delve deeper into the songs they love,” the WhoSampled team said in a statement. “Spotify has shown a genuine commitment to our mission, and we couldn’t find a better home for WhoSampled,” it said.
