by Erin Kowtko
When we think about Atlanta there are several words that come to mind: Coca Cola, The Braves, and traffic. Atlantais such a desirable city and growth has been explosive over the past few years. Growth is great for our economy, the job market and for making our city even more interesting but it does mean even more traffic for us.
Luckily, my commute from Buckhead to our office in Sandy Springs is manageable at 10 miles each way. Typically, I can make it to work in under 30 minutes and back home in 30-45 minutes – at least I could before I-85 crashed and burned. However, I know there are folks who commute several hours each way, and that’s some quality time in your car! To pass the time and keep my blood pressure at a normal level, I usually listen to books on tape, talk with friends or catch up on the news via NPR. In my 1+ hour daily commute I can learn a lot about the current state of our nation listening to NPR, and when I need a break from reality and want to relax, I turn on my favorite music radio stations.
We have a wide variety of stations here in Atlanta that never fails to entertain me. As surprising as it may sound, I am a huge hip-hop fan and have been ever since I was a young girl. I grew up in Connecticut listening to hip-hop and rap music from stations out of NY City; the beats and stories that were told through the music fascinated me. We are particularly lucky to live in Atlanta, as it’s a hub for that genre of music and home to many influential musicians such as Usher, Ludacris, and TI for example.
Several times a week, I’m exposed to a song that I absolutely love or an old blast from the past that stumps me as to who sang it. It was an ongoing irritant until I stumbled across an app that ensures I can always learn who sings the songs that catch my interest: Shazam.
Shazam is a program that has been around since 2002 and it has greatly evolved in that time. At its inception, it was only for cell phones. It’s now expanded to include TV and watches so that you’ve always got access to the incredible music knowledge of Shazam.
It’s simple to download and use Shazam on your phone. If you have an iPhone just click on App Store, type in Shazam and options will populate. There is a free and version as well as a paid one. I have the free version and it has not let me down yet!
It’s easy to use, too. Say you’re sitting in the notorious Atlanta traffic after a long day of work and a fabulous song pops on the radio: simply click on your Shazam app, tap the blue and white button in the center of your phone and wait for the magic to happen. In a matter of seconds, your phone will listen to the radio and populate the song’s information. This information is stored in a list called “My Shazam” so that you have it as a reference. When you’re in safe place to download the song, you may do so if you choose.
If you elect to download a song, Shazam will give you options for where to purchase it. For me, it links up to my ITunes and the transaction will occur safely through there. However, depending upon the availability of the song, you may listen to it in Spotify, on Amazon music or even Napster if you prefer.
Another cool feature of this app is that it will give you the lyrics for the song as well as popular tracks from the same artist, and make suggestions for other artists and songs to try based upon the current song of choice. It also provides Chart Toppers, a feature that helps you discover popular music and is a nice way to get exposure to other artists.
Additionally, Shazam makes playlists for you. You can select the type of music you prefer, such as rock, rap, pop, country, etc., and 5 or more artists from a list. This gives Shazam an idea of your preferences and it will make suggestions for you based on the direction you provide. It creates a “Daily Mix” of songs so you can listen, watch the music videos and see if they’re to your liking. You can always amend this to reflect your most recent musical interests as your tastes evolve. It’s a cool way to build up your play list for your time at the gym or on the road.
This is merely a snippet of all that Shazam has to give – I haven’t even ventured into the Television options it offers! Shazam is available for IOS and Android products. I hope that this helps you jazz up your music collection. It’s made my commute infinitely better and I wish the same for you.
Erin Kowtko
Erin has years of experience in the healthcare and non-profit sector. She brings her skills and passion to benefit Network 1’s team, clients and partners. She strives to provide the best service and solutions to her clients so they can achieve greatness through Worry-Free IT.
ekowtko@network1consulting.com or 404.997.7656
Network 1 Consulting is an 19-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA. We become – or augment – the IT department for law firms and medical practices. Our IT experts can fix computers – but what our clients value most are the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firms. This is especially important with technology, along with regulations and cyber threats, changing so rapidly. We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.
