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Google Acquires Songza, Maker of Curated Playlists

The acquisition gives Google a free radio offering.

by Liz Gannes
Re/code

Google has purchased Songza, the four-year-old music app that sets up human-curated playlists based on moods and activities. The New York Post reported earlier this month the deal could be worth $15 million; terms were not officially disclosed today.

Unlike some acquired startups, Songza won’t be shutting down. Its team will be joining Google in New York and helping with contextual recommendation features for Google Play and possibly YouTube down the line.

Google Play does have a paid All Access streaming service, but it doesn’t currently have a free radio offering, so Songza helps fill that gap.

Songza had raised about $7 million from angels and small investors. The Google Play Music team is led by Paul Joyce, who joined the company through another startup acquisition, Simplify Media.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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