Catch your favorite tunes instantly
Since its launch Shazam has been the leading name among music discovery apps. With a clean interface and instant discovery options, the Mac version lets you catch music from the radio, TV shows, and movies. What’s best? The app runs in the background, allowing you to continue with other tasks while Shazam ‘matches it all’.
Easily discover and share songs!
The perfect way to discover music from around the world.
One of the most popular music apps, Shazam enables you to discover millions of songs anywhere, anytime. The app tells you the name of the artist and the track you hear during a commercial, in a TV show, on the radio, or anywhere else. If your Mac mic can hear it, Shazam can instantly find it for you.
The Mac version of the app not only finds music, but also tags the songs you come across. You can check out similar music or visit links to purchase the songs. One big advantage Shazam has over competitors is the ability to read along with the lyrics. With Shazam, you can view upcoming concerts, and do a lot more.
Quick access from the Menu Bar
Once you start Shazam, it keeps running in the background. With a small icon fixed to your Menu Bar at the top of the screen, it’s very easy to access. The app does a good job of identifying any music playing around the speakers. It’s kind of a run-and-forget deal, which lets you focus on other tasks while not missing out on music discovery.
Instant Music Discovery
Once the app identifies a song, you’ll notice a pop-up on the upper left-hand corner of the screen. With a single-click on the pop-up, you can visit the Shazam page displaying information about the artist, track, and album. It also shares links to apps like iTunes and Spotify, where you can purchase the song. In fact, clicking the links will allow you to purchase other songs from the album too.
The pop-up doesn’t disrupt your workflow and disappears within a few seconds. It doesn’t mean you have to act quickly to check out the song. You can continue with whatever you’re doing and visit the app later.
There’s a ‘Song History’ section. Just click the Shazam icon at the top of your screen, and you’ll be able to view a list of all the songs identified by the app. Consider it a music-focused version of your web browsing history.
A major advantage of Shazam is the ability to identify music in noisy surroundings. Whether you’re in a quiet room or a loud space, the app has no trouble picking up sounds. Whatever gets played in the vicinity is identified instantly.
Unlike its competitors, Shazam also lets you read lyrics, whenever available. It makes the app more engaging and fun. Additionally, you can use Shazam in dark mode, which has been introduced in the latest update for macOS.
Easy-to-use customization options
In case you want a break from pop-ups, Shazam has an on/off button. Using the ‘gear’ icon located on the right side of the on/off button, you can permit the app to run automatically, or not, once you log in to your Mac.
Shazam has built-in sharing options for Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, you can share only about the app’s existence on your Mac. The app doesn’t tell your friends what you’re listening to at any given moment.
Shazam is completely free, and offers numerous benefits to anyone interested in music discovery. It’s already a good enough reason to try the app. The interface is clean, and the app works without any lags. Moreover, it comes with support for multiple languages, including French, Italian, German, Dutch, Japanese, Russian, and more.
What’s the best part? You don’t have to worry about ads popping-up on your screen. It would have been good to get rid of pop-ups without turning off the app. But that’s just a minor disadvantage that looks bleak as compared to several other benefits.
Where can you run this program?
Shazam is available for multiple platforms, which allows quick cross-platform syncing. For Mac, it requires 64-bit processor and macOS 10.12 or above.
Is there a better alternative?
While Shazam is an excellent choice, you might want to consider a few other options. If you want a familiar interface, iTunes will be a good choice. However, performance is one of the biggest issues, since the app runs slow most of the time.
To check out music from independent artists around the world, try Soundcloud. Be aware that you might not be able to find popular songs available on other music apps. Spotify is another good choice, but the free version has limited features.
Our take
Shazam is an excellent choice for music discovery. If any sound is within range of your speakers, the app will detect the song and provide you with track information. There are times when you come across some good tunes but can’t recognize them instantly. Shazam will help you identify the music, so you’re never without your favorite tunes.
Should you download it?
Yes, definitely! Shazam is a useful, easy-to-use, and fun app. While using it on your Mac, you can learn about songs playing in the vicinity. With a clean interface, music discovery is effortless and instant. Just turn it on, and let it run in the background to do its magic.
