Apple to buy music recognizing app Shazam

Apple is in talks to buy the popular song recognition app Shazam as the tech giant tries to compete with streaming leader Spotify, TechCrunch reported Friday.

The technology news site, quoting unnamed sources, said that the deal could be announced Monday with financial terms not yet clear.

A spokeswoman for Apple declined comment.

Since its founding in 1999, Shazam has offered a high-tech solution to listeners' longtime agony over not recognizing music on the radio or in bars, letting users identify songs through their phones' microphones.

Shazam, which is based in London, said last year that it had reached one billion downloads on smartphones.

But it only recently started to see profitability by incorporating advertisements and tying up with other tech firms including Spotify and Apple, to which it refers traffic.

It would remain to be seen how Apple would integrate Shazam, which also faces competitors such as SoundHound.

Apple, which earlier revolutionized online music with iTunes, in 2015 launched Apple Music as the market turns to streaming, which offers unlimited on-demand listening.