Spotify has acquired WhoSampled, the community-driven music database that tracks sampled music. The company announced the acquisition on Wednesday. Spotify also shared the news in a blog post detailing new song credit features.

Deal Details

While the specific terms of the deal remain undisclosed, Spotify confirmed that the acquisition includes both the WhoSampled team and its extensive database. Data from Pitchbook and LinkedIn suggests WhoSampled had approximately 10 employees.

A Deep Dive

Launched in London in 2008, WhoSampled provides a comprehensive database of songs, samples, covers, remixes, and artists. The platform boasts over 1.2 million tracked songs and nearly 622,000 samples, according to its website. This vast dataset is fueling Spotify’s latest features, including the upcoming music discovery tool SongDNA, also announced on Wednesday.

Past Partnership

Spotify’s familiarity with WhoSampled dates back to 2016, when the two companies partnered to enable users to access their Spotify playlists and saved tracks within the WhoSampled app.

Future Plans for WhoSampled

According to WhoSampled’s announcement, the standalone platform and brand will continue to operate post-acquisition. The company anticipates user-facing improvements as it integrates into Spotify’s larger infrastructure. These improvements include faster moderation times for submissions, removal of display ads in the coming weeks, and making its mobile apps free for download with complimentary subscriptions.

Shared Vision

The WhoSampled team expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, stating, “Through our recent discussions with Spotify, it became clear that we share a strong belief in the power of musical context – and a vision for helping listeners go deeper into the songs they love. Spotify has shown a genuine commitment to our mission, and we couldn’t have found a better home for WhoSampled.”