Rogers Radio has partnered with the music search service Shazam on a new program that will see the most “Shazam’d” songs featured in a daily countdown on three of its top 40 stations.
Toronto’s Kiss 92.5, Edmonton’s The Bounce 91.7, and Kiss Radio Vancouver will all feature a new nightly show called The Shazam @ 7 Countdown. The show is comprised of the most “Shazam’d” songs in the three markets, as well as new and trending tracks from across the country.
The approximately 30-minute show will also be available across the three participating radio stations’ websites, Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as iOS and Android apps. The participating stations cater to listeners 18-44, skewing roughly 60% female.
The content-based partnership is the result of six to 10 months of discussions between the two companies and Tapped Mobile, which represents Shazam in Canada.
“It was as simple as saying ‘Do you think there’s something we could do with Shazam that would be interesting both for our listeners and our advertisers?’” said Julie Adam, senior vice-president, radio, for Rogers Media in Toronto. “I think we’re going to get a really fresh countdown, because we’re going to be able to represent songs that have grabbed people, but aren’t quite in the top 10.”
Adam said that the objective right from the start was for the partnership to be built around a content component. “We’re always centred around content, because that is what we do,” she said. “Everything we do at radio is about engaging the audience, and our go-to is to do that through content.”
Booster Juice has signed on as the first sponsor for The Shazam @ 7 Countdown, and will receive “presenting sponsor” acknowledgment across the participating radio and digital properties.
In addition to on-air mentions, the sponsor package also includes a “Shazammable” radio spot airing immediately after the countdown’s #1 song, as well as standard brand-sell opportunities and data analytics.
The Shazammable radio spot also includes a live lead-in encouraging listeners to Shazam the ensuing sponsor message for a chance to win prizes, unlock special content, receive digital coupons and app downloads. Participating brands will also receive a 30-second co-branded promotional spot airing on weekends.
Adam said that deal with Booster Juice was done client-direct, and sold “very quickly.
“We had a lot of interest, which was great, so I don’t anticipate any challenges with advertiser involvement,” she said. “We’re able to offer our clients something we weren’t able to offer them before we did this deal. Whenever we’re able to offer our clients new opportunities, that is a win for us.”
Shazam is the latest in a series of new media partnerships for Rogers. Last year, it announced a partnership with YouTube called YouTube Hits that features the top content on the global video site on its youth-oriented stations.
“The reality is that we always look for things that make it interesting for our audience,” said Adam. “Radio’s got a long history of doing partnerships with talent or syndication companies to bring big-name talent to the station, and I think in today’s world we’re still doing that – it’s just that sometimes the talent is a tech company.
“Bringing a company like YouTube or Shazam to the audience is the 2016 version of syndication in some ways.”
Shazam, too, has entered into several partnerships with traditional broadcasters. In the U.S., it is part of a new strategic alliance with iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group aimed at developing a U.S. audience measurement solution capable of delivering market and station-level audience metrics.
Users have “Shazam’d” a song more than 20 billion times, with the app garnering more than 20 million uses per day.
