Similar with Auto Shazam users are already familiar with, Shazam for Mac listens to and matches the audio to the database that is filled with songs, TV ads, and TV shows. When a match is found, the user can click through the drop down list when he wants to learn more about the audio content. For TV shows such as "The Big Bang Theory," the user can click the links that would take him to IMDb profiles and articles from Wikipedia.
However, the Mac version of the app doesn't serve song lyrics nor does it direct the user to YouTube. Compared to the phone version, the PC-based app has features that seemed more basic. When using it on Mac, the app is reminiscent of that time when it first landed on the iPhone in 2008.
Once the user opens the app, the Shazam icon instantly appears in the menu bar. When the icon is clicked, a pop-up will appear and the user will see a list of identified songs. After the user has clicked on the song, he would then be redirected to Shazam's website. From here, the user can access the several features found in the mobile version such as links to YouTube, lyrics, Amazon, Google Play and iTunes. Moreover, the user can tag a song and share it to a number of social networks.
"No one has ever really used a computer to do this. People Shazam YouTube all the time. They're watching the dancing baby video and there's good music in the background and they Shazam it for the music." Chief product officer Daniel Danker of Shazam said.
Shazam on Mac has no premium counterpart. Danker says that eventually, the Shazam website will include links to streaming services like what happens with the mobile version. Only recently, the company has launched improved streaming for the premium version.
While it's true that Shazam can recognize millions of songs, these songs would usually come from major labels and resellers such as Amazon and iTunes. If the song is unfamiliar or the artist is a bit new, Shazam couldn't recognize it. One good example is SoundCloud. It may be difficult for the app to catch up with the latter which is believed to have more than 12 hours of new audio uploaded for every minute.
Shazam for Mac is now available as a free download on the Mac App Store.
