Hey, what’s that song?

Hey, what’s that song?

Have you ever wondered who sings a song that’s playing in the restaurant?

Whenever that happens nowadays, the first thing we do is pull out our phones and Shazam it, right?

I know I’ve done that hundreds of times over the years, and I’m sure you have too.

And this week on the podcast, I’m honored to be in conversation with Chris Barton, who dreamt up Shazam back in the early 2000’s.

The idea of using your phone to discover songs seems obvious now, but back in 2000, it was deemed impossible.

Even Chris’s own engineers warned him that audio-detecting music with a phone was impossible.

But of course, no visionary worth their salt takes “impossible” as a final answer.

So they kept plugging away—and finally, Chris received a voicemail announcing that they did it! They figured out a way to do it.

However, when Shazam launched there was no app store. So usership was slow, and they operated on the brink of bankruptcy for years.

Things got better once the Apple app store launched in 2008, but not by much. In fact, it wasn’t until 2018 that Shazam sold to Apple for 400 million.

Until then, it was a grind—and Chris unpacks his entire journey during our episode. Get ready to hear:

• How the initial idea occurred to him.

• How Chris vetted his co-founders.

• The question Chris answered to stay innovative over his competitors.

• How Chris viewed success early in his life.

• How Chris navigated dyslexia.

• How to choose the right business partners.

• The mistake that most entrepreneurs make when raising money.

• And the #1 advice if you're trying to launch your app or startup.

If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, or if you’ve dreamt of an idea for an app, this episode is a must-listen!

So take a watch or a listen when you’re working out, or straightening up, or flaneuring today.

And as always, I appreciate your support!

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You can also watch this episode on YouTube.