Linkin Park tag with Shazam to debut new content

Not content with a remix album out merely a few months ago and not one but two differently themed festival tours in 2014 Linkin Park have found time to record a new album and used the power of Shazam to debut the first track.

The reasons are two fold 1) the band appear to like Shazam as they claim to use the service and 2) Linkin Park’s record label Warner Bros created a partnership with Shazam in February 2014, presumably with this kind of exclusive content unveiling as part of the thinking. That deal gave Warners the ability to have access to Shazam’s proprietary music data. It also appears to give them access to the millions of users who use Shazam every day to identify songs and feast on music content.

As band architect Mike Shinoda says “The idea of a musically engaged community hearing our brand new single "Guilty All The Same" (feat. Rakim) early, was extremely exciting to us”. Shazam have now become not only a music distribution partner, content catalyst but also now a focused music media outlet.

The mechanic is a very simple Tag any LINKIN PARK song on Shazam and get a first listen of "Guilty All The Same" (feat. Rakim). Everyone who tries to tag a song on Shazam sees the call to action across two thirds of the mobile screen. Great PR for all concerned and I am sure it will not be the last band who debut music via alternative music focused mobile friendly media like Shazam.

As well as the new album release and various brand partnerships with the likes of Shazam and Dell Linkin Park have created two themed festivals touring this year. The first reprises their award winning and ground breaking debut album “Hybrid Theory”. The second teams them up with 30 Seconds to Mars (who’s lead singer Jared Leto this won an Oscar for best supporting actor this week) and AFI in a meat hungry Carnivores Tour of North America