Apple has unveiled a series of Radio Spins charts, using Shazam’s music recognition technology to analyze terrestrial radio airplay streams to keep daily updated charts of the top songs globally and by genre.
The new feature tracks nearly one million hours of music daily from over 40,000 radio stations in more than 200 countries and regions, creating a comprehensive look at music trends.
Available now, Apple Music subscribers can access a daily updated global top 200 Radio Chart, along with genre-specific charts for Pop, Hip-Hop/Rap, Dance, Electronic, R&B/Soul, Alternative, Rock, Latin, and Country on Shazam’s curator page.
Additionally, Shazam’s website offers users free access to one global and various genre-specific radio charts, updated daily. These charts feature a diverse range of music genres including AfroBeats, Worldwide, Reggae/Dancehall, House, French Pop, Singer/Songwriter, and Música Mexicana, reflecting the most played songs on radio each week as identified by Shazam’s technology.
Apple acquired Shazam for an estimated $400m in 2018 and has since built the app into the iPhone.
Apple’s move to monitor radio follows a year of audio moves to compete with other music streamers like Spotify, like the launch of a new personal “Discovery Station” powered by user-fed algorithms, and to retain podcast share as YouTube makes massive gains for the platform.
