Charting Education: Shazam
Shazam is a mobile app owned by Apple that identifies the songs it hears. Shazaming, however, is not considered as streaming. Shazam sends its data to radio stations for them to determine a song’s popularity in the state/local areas. Therefore, if you want your station to play BTS’s promoted track, consider turning on your actual location to let them know you are here!
If you don’t have Shazam, download the app below:
How to Shazam
- Download and open the app
- Play BTS’s promoted single on your phone or computer. [Tip: you can plug in your headphone and loop it so that the earpiece is next to the mic while the song is playing.]
- Tap the Shazam button and wait for it to recognize the song
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- Android users: you can Shazam the same song as many times as you want, if you always CLEAR DATA after EVERY Shazam. If you do not CLEAR DATA, your Shazams on the same song will only be counted once per 24 hours.
- Apple users: Only one Shazam per song – per day – per Apple device will count.
Shazam counts are no longer automatically updating, so don’t get discouraged if it takes 30 minutes or even over an hour for your Shazam to be displayed in the count.
Questions? Refer to our FAQs below, or message @BTSx50States or @BTSonShazam for help.
Frequently Asked Questions
A music-discovery app in which your device listens to a portion of a song and then the app identifies the song; that process is known as a Shazam. A high number of Shazams indicate that the song is popular and well-liked because many people are curious to know it. It is not a streaming app.
Radio stations use the Shazam count to determine the popularity of a song, and as part of deciding whether or not they want to play it on their station. This information is verified by Bryan Herz from Shazam. Radio play is a requirement for Billboard Hot 100. Shazam is a component of Songkick, which has a tool called Tourbox that tour managers use to determine where to hold concerts. BTS is verified on both Shazam and Songkick. If you Shazam a lot, BTS could be more likely to hold a concert near you, and it could increase the chances that your local radio stations will play that BTS song.
Yes. USA radio stations have access to data for both national and worldwide Shazams. Furthermore, radio stations all over the world consider Shazam data before playing a song, and some even play countdowns of songs from Shazam charts.
The app has been downloaded by people 1 billion times. In a 2016 Forbes article, it is said that Shazam is used 20 million times worldwide, daily.
Normally, Shazams count only once every 24 hours. If you have an Android device, you must clear your data after every Shazam to have additional Shazams count For the process to work continuously, Shazam only when you are not logged in. The Shazam is then counted after you log in. For screenshot tutorials, please scroll up. Clearing data is only effective on Androids. If you have an Apple product, you can still Shazam a song once per day, per device (iPhone, iPad, watch, Mac)
The number on the app can freeze, but will catch up later, much like YouTube views. Your Shazams will continue to count as long as you are clearing your data or waiting 1 day in between Shazams.
Yes. On some versions of the Shazam app, the history does show up again, but as long you are still following the correct steps from the tutorial, your Shazams will still count.
Yes, for example, you can Shazam Mic Drop Remix, then the comeback song, and THEN do the steps to clear data and they will both count.
Whenever you can. The more Shazams that accumulate for a song, the better. You can follow @BTSonShazam to engage in flash Shazam parties where ARMY can Shazam together, simultaneously. When BTS make their comeback, Shazam the title track immediately, as much as you can, and whenever you can. It is important that the song gains Shazams quickly so that it can be added to many radio stations for Hot 100.
Through these methods, only 1 Shazam will be counted per hour. We currently have no evidence showing that it will count more than once.
No. The use of VPN will endanger the validity of the Shazams. Please turn on your real location to make your Shazams count locally. Using your real location will also help get BTS on the radio in your country.