New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Shazam, one of the world's most popular apps for connecting artists and fans, today announced its inclusion in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2016. The annual list has become an industry standard, created to honor leading enterprises and rising newcomers that exemplify the best in nimble business and impactful innovation. Shazam was selected as one of the Most Innovative Companies by sector in the
Music category for 2016. This is the second time Shazam has had the inclusion, as the company was first named to the list of Most Innovative Companies in 2012.
"Innovation is at the very core of Shazam," said Shazam CEO Rich Riley. "We have continued to innovate on our pioneering music-identification capabilities and have made it faster and more accurate than ever as we strive to make all of the world's music discoverable. Additionally, we launched innovations around visual recognition which are connecting leading brands around the world to our global community of fans."
Among the honorees for 2016 are popular consumer brands Taco Bell and Hasbro; large corporations CVS Health and Bristol-Myers Squibb; rising newcomers Shyp and Robinhood; creative retail upstarts Everlane, Shopify, and Farfetch; global healthcare companies Novocure and Noora Health; entertainment leaders Sixteen String Jack Productions and Universal Studios; and mission-driven organizations Sama Group,
Black Lives Matter, and Social Capital. Returning honorees include Airbnb, Spotify, GE, Fitbit, Uber, and Huawei.
"This year's package—which includes top ten lists in 27 sectors—emphasizes the breadth of companies with progressive, agile business models, cultures of creativity, and ability to adapt in today's fast-paced world," said Fast Company editor Robert Safian.
Most Innovative Companies is one of Fast Company's most significant and highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To produce the 2016 list, the magazine's editors spent a full year gathering and analyzing data on companies around the globe. For the first time, Fast Company enlisted machine intelligence to help inform the list: Quid, a San Francisco-based startup, used its software to create topographical maps of innovation across more than 40 sectors of the economy.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the world's leading progressive business media brand, with a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, one of the U.S.'s leading media companies.
About Shazam
Shazam is one of the world's most popular apps, used by more than 120 million people each month to magically connect to the world around them. Building on its pioneering leadership in music identification, Shazam now helps people discover, interact with, and share video, audio, or printed content on TV, radio, movie screens,magazines, newspapers, packaged goods, and retail stores -- and now Shazam lets music fans follow their favorite artists to see their Shazams and share in the thrill of discovery. The app has exceeded 20 billion total Shazams since its launch, and users Shazam over 20 million times each day. Follow us on Twitter @shazam or for more information, visit www.shazam.com.
Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March 2016) is now available online a https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies as well as in app form via iTunes, and on newsstands today.
