Songza curating multi-million dollar bid from Google

Hold onto your headphones. Google is apparently in talks to buy the popular free music streaming and recommendation service Songza. Founded in late 2007, Songza has built up over 5.5 million active users. Google's own Larry Page is allegedly leading the charge to acquire Songza for $15 million.
In the world of free music streaming, Songza has set itself apart by offering up curated playlists based on your current activity. There aren't any algorithms are work to make these playlists, instead music experts create these for specific occasions. Songza has apps on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, BlackBerry, Sonos and a web application.
$15 million does seem awfully small for a music streaming service. Afterall, Apple did just buy Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion, of which less than $500 million was for the streaming component. It also pales in comparison to companies like Spotify (valued at $4 billion) and Pandora (market cap of $5 billion).
Good move for Songza to be aquired by Google? Do you use Songza? Sound off below!
Source: New York Post
Windows Central Newsletter
Get the best of Windows Central in your inbox, every day!
-
No no no. Or we'll never see an update to the app
-
Exactly what I was thinking. Oh well. I'll use the Nokia variant.
-
Same on me. No no no. I use Songza especially for studying.
-
Yeah me too. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
-
Bad dog!
-
Good for Songza's owners... Bad for Windows users. Please Google, don't be evil and take our awesome app.
-
Never used it, how do people like it? Anecdotal info related to wp8 is welcome.
-
Great app. Highly recommended. Best playlists out there of any service I'd say.
-
^^this + 100!
-
Better than 8tracks? I'm addicted to 8tracks. I used Songza and it was interesting.
-
+8tracks
-
And that's why I don't want Google to buy it, I want my online existence to be as Google free as possible.
-
Songza is fabulous. I use it on my phone, my sonos equipment and curate my own playlists. It is absolutely magnificent.
-
Yeah really, their chill out as well as art rock playlist is pretty nice.
-
Microsoft should throw thier hat in the bid. If Google gets it...and its 5milliom users, they will likely treat the WP app like very poorly and give users yet ANOTHER reason not to commit to windows phone. That's 5,000,000 people who are committed to a service that connects them to seem they take pleasure in. Music has an emotional affect on people. These are factors that affect individuals commitment to a platform. Off Google makes Songza garbage on WP this would be bad. The purchase would be another feather in Googles cap. Headlines would ring loudly resonating the message "Google Purchases Popular Streaming Music Service -Songza" The bloggers would drum home how Google might possibly incorporate Songza ominto its current Music service and how they just added 5 million subscribers. The Android camp will scream how Google is now even more competitive in the streaming music arena. The affects of the headlines would only bolster Googles position. Microsofts XBox Music and Nokia Music are cool. Nut I don't think they have that "COOL" appeal to those outside of Microsoft ecosystem. These other services have they, and if thier picked up by the competition, they bring along a committed following that now comes under the Google or Apple umbrella.Eventually they will become comfortable being identified under that new "name". Microsoft need to do more to make Xbox music cooler than ice, or buy one of these popular services. We can use some more cool points.
-
Preach, brother.
-
*Sam hold the phone* I _used_ to use this app. But very recently the radio on xbox music is now excellent as a streamer. Example. Dennis brown. It will play roots and culture reggae all night long. I like songza for occasional randomness but xbox has now taken over for me. Microsoft seem to have got their streaming shiz together.!
-
It's great, but I have issues with the login screen.
-
How about Microsoft get in the acquisition game catered to boost Xbox Music. It needs it! It could be so much better.
-
Won't help that much.
-
XBox Music can definitely use the curated list feature but they will be fine if they integrate Nokia Mix Radio curated stations into it.
-
Noooo. I love Songza. Use it daily. Probably my most used music service out there. The Windows Phone and Windows 8 apps are good too.
-
Songza is actually one of the best music apps out there so I agree.
-
Agreed. The playlists are too good!
-
Agreed. The curation is good and I love the sleep timer feature for bed time.
-
Well if they do buy it hopefully they will leave songza alone like facebook did with WhatsApp so we can still get frequent updates
-
These music services seem almost dime a dozen.. perhaps $15m is indeed a more realistic price.
-
I don't know about it ... They left Motorola alone
-
?? Did you mean that as a reply to me?
-
Yes. They will. Google will leave the Songza app to rot just like they did with Waze. They won't delist it but no more updates.
-
Everyone buys stuff but Microsoft, they probably don't have cash.
-
Now you just sound stupid
-
Google has acquired this or that apple has acquired beats blah blah blah.... Microsoft acquired nokia and that's the biggest thing
-
Lol. Skype, NOKIA...
-
You guys are funny, keep living in your fanboy world. I do like Microsoft but I'm not blind. Nowadays buying a hardware company isn't as important as buying startups.
-
Well buying Nokia is no joke and could really put Microsoft in a good position in the smartphone arena. I am not sure how that is not as important as buying a startup. It all depends on how Microsoft capitalizes with their purchase. Satya's focus going forward with MS is cloud and mobile first so Nokia makes perfect sense.
-
It was important for Microsoft so they could still make phones if all other OEMs dropped them. Still you will notice that everyone else buys software companies and that would fit perfectly with Nadella's vision of Microsoft services everywhere. Here are some ideas, keep in mind that even if MS already does some of that stuff, owning a brand and picking up a userbase is huge:
- Spotify
- Flipboard
- Snapchat
- Plex
- Myfitnesspal
- Paper
- BuzzFeed Just very random ideas, there are maybe better choices out there that don't come to mind yet. Netflix is way too big now but that's a prime example of something you should seek to own. -
You're talking about a publicly traded company where such information is readily available, yet you still theorized "they probably don't have the cash." That is incredibly dumb, so you probably shouldn't be calling anyone else out.
-
Get a dictionary and look up "sarcasm".
-
The point is that you questioned if Microsoft had the cash. Also your analysis of hardware vs software acquisition is but a perspective, not a matter of verified fact.
-
Same as above.
-
Buying a highly established and recognized brand such as Nokia is much more important than buying any startup. If you can see that then you are just a noob
-
Trying to counter apples purchase of beats music service
-
Just started using songza recently. Would be a shame if Google bought them.
-
No!! I use this service all the time... Don't sell to the gevil :(
-
I use it regularly and I don't like the idea of scroogle buying it, and killing it for WP owners :(
-
Google buying everything is so annoying when they can easily build their own app...
-
Sure let Google, Apple and Facebook buy up everything! There go all our apps!!! :(
-
Noooooooooooooooo
-
How has an anti trust sit not been levied on Google yet? Oh right, they're in the president's cabinet.... Really as consumers have got to find a way to reign Google under control. I myself, do not have a solution.... :(
-
I'm no fan of Google, but someone should probably note that they own Waze and we have an app for that, albeit there were some shenanigans involved.
-
We haven't been updated in a good while.
-
We don't have a Nest app or a good YouTube app Posted via Windows Phone Central App
-
Metro Tube, myTube and TOIB are great youtube apps.
-
It is what I use all the time. Best for workouts, moods, activities.
-
I love the WP8 Songza app so I hope this doesn't happen. I wish Microsoft would buy it instead and integrate it with Xbox music.
-
Only read about Songza online. Never actually got to use it. But for $15 million, it seems a steal....
-
Damn! I'll buy it for 15 million :)
-
Searching for Songza does not return any successful result on the wp8 marketplace!!
-
Maybe not in your country.
-
It doesn't work for some of us anymore even I set my region to US (I live in Asia). I even find this better than 8tracks except for the laggy UI. :|
-
Next week Google will buy Walmart and AT&T and the United States of America and Russia.
-
I'm half asleep, I was scrolling through comments and thought this was a news headline. I almost shit a brick
-
I've been a dedicated user for almost two years now -- please don't let this happen. 1) because I'm just not a big fan of Google and 2) I don't want to know what happens to Songza's presence in the world of Windows if this happens.
-
F-ing Apple and Google buying everything! Buy Microsoft, buy!!!
-
How about No? I love Songza and it's awesome, IMO way better than MixRadio.
-
Don't do it Songza! Don't lose your cool!
-
Say it ain't so. I really enjoy the well crafted song lists in Songza and I use it several times a week. Variety is the spice of life and we don't need every big fish gobbling up every small fish.
-
Cool! Another service I can stop using!!!
-
Lol. So glad I don't use any of these third party services.
-
Uh I hope you know this isn't a 3rd party app. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
-
Is a comment, Daniel Rubino said he wished Microsoft buys Songza. Great idea, wrong forum.
-
Google will ruin the greatest style of music streaming on the planet! Greedy bastards! Google music sucks!
-
At least MS should give them a run for their money and offer Songza 16 million... So Google has to up their bid to 17 million :)
-
Dear songza,
Please hold out for way more money, and then turn google down anyways.
Sincerely
WP users -
Noooooooo
-
Bye bye Songza app on WP.
-
Doesn't mean it's going away, Waze is still there.
-
Songza sucks anyway so no big loss there. All google is doing is bolstering membership for its fledgling google + message board. Because if you use Songza, you must be join google +.
-
$15 million sounds like a lowball go fuck yourself offer. I hope they can get a better deal. Don't use Songza myself but MSFT should hire back the people who developed Zune and bring back all the social, favoriting and auto-playlist features. Miss those a lot in Xbox Music
-
I really miss the channels feature from Zune.
-
Google buy everything. =(
-
How is it only worth 15 mill when they have 50% of the useres that Spotify has?
-
Absorbing the Songza team into Google's all access music is actually an awesome idea.
-
Love Songza! This is bad news...
-
I use it a lot, and I don't want to use my google account to sign in or whatever Google is thinking of doing, I also still want updates. Windows Phone and Blackberry support will go down the drain with Google
-
This is so sick we won't get any update anymore :(
-
I wonder who is microsoft planing to buy next.... Coolest Man Alive
-
I hope they dont...Songza badly needs an update and its where i get the most varied selection of Indie music. they have the best playlists, and i cant go back to using Pandora or iHeart radio anymore. Spotify is a favorite of mine of course, but i dont have premium so i cant use on windows phone :(
-
If Google buy anything in the world, then maybe Google will be the king.
-
If google buy songza I will uninstall it from my windows phone and 2 windows 8.1 PC for sure! Songza is great I use songza and nokia mix radio daily on my WP and Windows PC! hey google try make money from your poor user information!!!
-
I use Songza for studying and for having a good time. I think its good for Google and Songza but a possible problem for Microsoft and Windows Phone
-
Use it on my Samsung tablet and love it. Can't get it for my WP7 though :(
-
Google is trying to Scroogle Songza. $15,000,000 is a lowball offer.
-
Google is buying everything. The world is slowly dying.