Spotify has acquired WhoSampled, the long-running, community-driven database that tracks sampled music, covers, remixes, and artist connections. The company confirmed the deal on Wednesday while announcing new upgrades to its song credits features.
Although terms of the acquisition were not made public, Spotify told TechCrunch that the purchase includes both the WhoSampled team and its entire database. According to public listings on PitchBook and LinkedIn, the company had around 10 employees.
Founded in 2008 and based in London, WhoSampled has built one of the most detailed music-mapping libraries online, tracking over 1.2 million songs and nearly 622,000 samples. This extensive dataset is now fueling Spotify’s newest tools, including the upcoming music discovery feature SongDNA, which was also revealed on Wednesday.
Spotify has been familiar with WhoSampled’s work for years. The two companies partnered in 2016, enabling WhoSampled users to connect and analyze their Spotify playlists directly within the app.
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In its announcement, WhoSampled said its standalone platform, name, and community would continue operating after the acquisition. But users should expect improvements soon. Moderation and verification times for new submissions will get faster, display ads will be removed, and the company’s mobile apps will become free to download and use.
“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,” the WhoSampled team wrote. “Spotify has shown a genuine commitment to our mission, and we couldn’t have found a better home for WhoSampled.”
