How Shazam went from a 4-digit Phone Number to $400m with Chris Barton, Founder

from Modern CTO · host ProSeries Media

Shazam struggled to turn any profit for 6 straight years. But then the App Store changed everything. Today, we're talking to Chris Barton, Founder of Shazam. We discuss why they built a music recognition app eight years before the App Store launched, how they survived six consecutive years of near bankruptcy, and why eliminating the right friction is the key to massive user adoption. All of this right here, right now, on the Modern CTO Podcast! To learn more about what Chris is up to, check out his website here.

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This episode is 40 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 29, 2025.

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