EC Investigates Apple-Shazam Deal

Apple’s $400 million acquisition of music identification service Shazam will likely be delayed, due to a decision by the European Commission to open an “in-depth investigation” into the deal. The EC expects to determine whether Apple’s purchase and integration of Shazam will discourage music streaming deals and options, harming European consumers, Reuters reported. UK-based Shazam is best known for an eponymous app that listens to an environment’s music and identifies tracks based on matching snippets against an extensive audio database. In addition to standalone apps across multiple platforms, Shazam’s identification technology has been integrated into Apple’s software for years, and can point users towards full tracks to purchase or stream. “The way people listen to music has changed significantly in recent years,” said EC Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, “with more and more Europeans using music streaming services. Our investigation aims to ensure that music fans will continue to enjoy attractive music streaming offers and won’t face less choice as a result of this proposed merger.”