The Story of Shazam - The Early Years

A rickety staircase in Soho leads to a small office where four founders are about to do something impossible. They have an old Nokia phone, a laptop with a few dozen songs, and an algorithm. Years before the iPhone. Before streaming. Before smartphone apps. They’re about to answer an age-old question: What's that song? And in the process, change music discovery forever. Dial 2-5-8-0 down the center of your keypad. Hold your phone to the speaker. Wait thirty seconds. Shazam! Magic. Except it wasn't magic, it was something far more remarkable. And keeping it alive would require courage, curiosity and relentless optimism. From a laptop with a few songs to a $450 million acquisition, this is the story of Shazam - the early years. Some innovations feel like magic. The best ones make the impossible a reality. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible.  Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. Sound effects: Soundly CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (00:18) The Problem to be Solved (05:34) Building the Database (09:25) Financial Struggles (10:51) The iPhone Revolution (14:43) The Legacy