REVIEW: MusicID service rings up most song titles

Editor’s Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless New’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we’ll review a new wireless application or service from the user’s point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn’t in the mobile content industry. If you wish to submit your application or service for review, please contact us at rcrwebhelp@crain.com.
Application: AT&T Mobility MusicID service powered by Shazam Entertainment.
Running on: Motorola Razr2
Yay: Service does what it says it does for the most part. The $4 per month price does not break the bank.
Nay: Noisier environments occasionally proved challenging for service; catalog of music could be deeper.
We say: An effective way to “name that tune” that would otherwise stick in your head for weeks. The application also serves as a game of trying to name the song before the service does.
Music identification services are not new to the mobile scene-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. launched an offering in early 2004-but a number of carriers have recently jumped on the bandwagon. As such, this seemed like a good time try out these services and see how they perform in the real world. The AT&T Mobility service, which is powered by Shazam Entertainment, claims to be able to name tunes after listening to just a few seconds of a song.
I broke the testing into two parts: the accuracy of the service, and its ability to function in different noise environments.
My first test was to see how extensive the music catalog was. The service managed to pick out most new music, though occasionally a newly released song managed to stymie the application. The service also managed to pick out some random songs not typically heard on the radio, including songs from soundtracks and B-sides from the ’70s and ’80s. The service was slightly less accurate with some more obscure tracks; it managed to nail songs by some punk bands but missed tunes from others. The service was also hit or miss on classical songs and instrumentals, but was pretty accurate on older jazz music. Overall though the service was pretty good and managed to at least meet my expectations.
I then moved the testing into the real world using the service to name songs played in public locations. Success in the wild was very dependant on the noise level of the surroundings. Occasionally the service would surprise me with its ability to pick up tracks that I could barely hear, while other times a song sounded fairly clear to me but was not picked up by the service. Interestingly, the service seemed to like more base-heavy tracks, while guitar solos appeared to get washed out. The service also exceeded my expectations in the real world.
Beyond just naming tunes, the MusicID service also allowed users to send identified music to others in a text message. The service also allowed users to send a download link for a ringtone through AT&T Mobility, or to purchase a track through an online service.
Overall the MusicID service did what it said it would most of the time, and the $4 per month price is reasonable for those who are interested in adding random tracks to their music collection.