Spotify has bought Heardle, a music trivia game in which users try to guess a song based on small audio clips. The game works in the same way as the hit word puzzle game Wordle, which was similarly acquired by The New York Times in January this year.
Heardle, like Wordle, gives players 6 chances to guess the song, using an audio clip that gets longer at every attempt. Spotify has announced that despite the change in ownership, the game will remain free to play.
The streaming giant published a blog post on Tuesday, said that Heardle is much more than “a trivia game” and that “its also a tool for musical discovery.”
“Playing Heardle might just help you to rediscover old tracks you may have thought you’d forgotten, discover amazing new artists, or finally put a title to that wordless melody you’ve had caught in your head forever.”
Under Spotify ownership, the game will play the full song at the end of a round via the streaming platform, allowing users to discover new music or listen to tracks they know.
“We are always looking for innovative and playful ways to enhance music discovery and help artists reach new fans,” said Jeremy Erlich, Global Head of Music at Spotify.
As of yesterdays announcement, users in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the US and the UK will have access to the new feature, with more markets to follow. Spotify has also said that it plans to further integrate Heardle into Spotify, alongside other features and interactive experiences.
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
