Apple buys music analytics company Asaii to improve Music playlists

Stephen Lam | Reuters

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, smiles during a demonstration of the newly released Apple products following the launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, September 12, 2018.

Apple bought music analytics company Asaii, according to a LinkedIn profile update from the company’s co-founder, in a move that’s likely to make Apple Music playlists better.

Asaii ranks tracks and artists by popularity across music streaming platforms. The company’s machine learning algorithms predict which artists will top the charts next — “to find the next Justin Bieber, before anyone else,” the company says.

It’s another means to bolster Apple Music as the company takes on streaming giant Spotify. Apple bought music recognition app Shazam earlier this year.

Apple’s subscription service boasted 50 million active users in May, though the company hasn’t offered an official update since. Spotify has 83 million paying subscribers and another 100 million or so unpaid users.

Apple declined to comment on the Asaii acquisition. Asaii did not immediately respond to request for comment.