Spotify acquires music database WhoSampled

Spotify has acquired WhoSampled, a community-run database that tracks sampled music, the company announced Wednesday. The streaming service also shared the news as part of a blog post on Wednesday about the new song credits feature.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that the acquisition is for both the WhoSampled team and database. (The company has only a handful of employees, according to data from PitchBook and LinkedIn, both of which have around 10 confirmed employees.)

Founded in 2008 and based in London, WhoSampled offers an extensive database of songs, samples, covers, remixes, artists, and more. According to the company’s website, it currently tracks more than 1.2 million songs and approximately 622,000 samples. That data powers Spotify’s latest features, including its upcoming music discovery tool SongDNA, which was also announced Wednesday.

But WhoSampled has been known to Spotify for some time, having partnered with streamers in 2016 to give users access to Spotify playlists and tracks stored in the app.

In its announcement about the WhoSampled acquisition, the company said its standalone platform and brand will remain after the deal closes, and that it expects it will offer improvements for users as it becomes part of Spotify’s larger business. For example, the company said it will speed up review times for posts, allow sites to remove display ads within weeks, and make its mobile app available for free download with a free subscription.

“Through our recent discussions with Spotify, it became clear that we share a strong belief in the power of context in music and a vision to help listeners gain a deeper understanding of the songs they love,” reads a post written by the WhoSampled team. “Spotify has shown true commitment to our mission and we couldn’t have found a better home for WhoSampled.”