Shazam Turns 20! Happy Birthday @Shazam #TheLifesWay

Hi Friends, 

Shazam turns 20 today, and as of this week, it has officially surpassed 70 billion song recognitions. A mainstay in popular culture, the platform has changed the way people engage with music by making song identification accessible to everyone. For more than 225 million global monthly users, to “Shazam” is to discover something new.

To mark the occasion, Shazam invites fans to take a trip down memory lane with a special playlist comprised of the most Shazamed song of each calendar year for the past 20 years. Featuring everything from Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” to Sia’s “Cheap Thrills,” the playlist is a true reflection of the music fans across the globe actively searched for over the past two decades. Listen now exclusively on Apple Music.

Over the years, Shazam’s global charts have played a crucial role in helping to identify breaking new talent like Masked Wolf, who was one of Shazam’s 5 Artists to Watch in 2021 and ended up having the most Shazamed track globally that year with “Astronaut In The Ocean.”

“The fact that people all over the world took time out of their day to pull out their phone and Shazam my songs is a huge honour for me as an artist,” said Masked Wolf. “You know you’ve got something special if you see the Shazam stats moving.”

Shazam’s charts have also become a barometer for unexpected pop culture moments. Kate Bush’s 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” is featured in “Stranger Things” led to an all-time peak in Shazams of the singer, and the track took No. 1 on the Shazam Global Top 200 for 10 days. It ended up reaching the top of the 25 national charts — more than any other song in 2022.

Keeping its finger on the pulse of music, Shazam has also played a key role in bringing local artists to a global audience. The longest-running global No. 1 song of 2021 was “Love Nwantiti [Remix]” by Nigerian artist CKay, which became the second song to ever surpass one million Shazams in a week.

“Shazam has played an impactful role in my career,” said CKay. “It allowed millions of people all over the world to discover me and my unique Nigerian sound. It made me a global sensation even before I started to perform all over the world. The story of CKay cannot be told without Shazam connecting me to the world.”

With its continued commitment to innovation over the past two decades, Shazam is pioneering new ways to bring fans closer to the music and artists they love with new tools like the concert discovery feature, which spotlights concert information and tickets on sale for shows nearby, simply by Shazaming a song, or by searching for it in the Shazam app or website.

While Shazam remains focused on the future of music discovery, today’s anniversary offers an opportunity to look back at the notable moments and milestones that make up its two-decade history.

Important Dates

• August 2002: Shazam launches as a text message service based in the UK. At the time, users could identify songs by dialing “2580” on their phone and holding it up as a song played. They were then sent an SMS message telling them the song title and the name of the artist.
• July 2008: Shazam launches on the brand-new App Store. Shazam later launched its Android version in October 2008.
• April 2015: Shazam becomes available on the first Apple Watch.
• September 2018: Shazam joins the Apple family.
• June 2021: Shazam surpasses 1 billion Shazams per month.
• May 2022: Shazam surpasses 2 billion lifetime installs.
• August 2022: Shazam celebrates 20 years of music discovery and hits 70 billion all-time Shazams.

Notable Firsts

• First-ever Shazamed song: “Jeepster” by T. Rex (April 19, 2002)1
• First Shazamed song on the iOS app: “How Am I Different” by Aimee Mann (July 10, 2008)
• First track to reach 1,000 Shazams: “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” by Eminem (September 2002)
• First track to reach one million Shazams: “TiK ToK” by Ke$ha (February 2010)
• First track to reach 10 million Shazams: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye feat. Kimbra (December 2012)
• First track to reach 20 million Shazams: “Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Radio Edit)” by Lilly Wood & The Prick and Robin Schulz (October 2015)
• First artist to hit 1 million Shazams: Lil Wayne (February 2009)
• First artist to hit 10 million Shazams: Lil Wayne (June 2011)
• First artist to hit 100 million Shazams: David Guetta (May 2015)

Fastest Tracks to Accumulate Shazams

• Fastest track to reach 1 million Shazams: “Butter” by BTS (nine days)
• Fastest track to reach 10 million Shazams: “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (87 days)
• Fastest track to reach 20 million Shazams: “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I (219 days)

Most Shazamed of All Time

• Drake is the most Shazamed artist of all time with over 350 million Shazams across songs the artist has led or featured on. “One Dance” is Drake’s most popular track at over 17 million Shazams.
• “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I is the most Shazamed song ever with over 41 million Shazams.
• “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley was the most Shazamed song using the “2580” text service.

Top Shazamed Songs by Genre

• Top Hip-Hop/Rap: “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton
• Top Dance: “Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Radio Edit)” by Lilly Wood & The Prick and Robin Schulz
• Top R&B/Soul: “All of Me” by John Legend
• Top Latin: “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William
• Top Pop: “Let Her Go” by Passenger
• Top Alternative: “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I
• Top Singer/Songwriter: “Take Me to Church” by Hozier

1. The first Shazamed song used the service’s prelaunch public beta.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Support me if you want with USD FOUR - https://www.patreon.com/TheLifesWay Namaste!

‘Board of Little Experts’ Creatively Curates #KidsCon 2022 @ComicConAfrica #ComicConAfrica

Hi Friends, 

Comic Con Africa is excited to announce that KidsCon will be back this year and form part of Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture and gaming festival. Curated by an impressive ‘Board of Little Experts’, this year’s show will set KidsCon apart, as the ultimate immersive experience - a festival just for kids, designed by kids.

Collocated with, and taking place throughout the entire Comic Con Africa weekend at the Johannesburg Expo Centre from 22 to 25 September, KidsCon will have something for all little fans. Bringing together everything that dreams are made of, and more. KidsCon has heightened the experience and selected several of the brightest, and coolest kids between the ages of 7 and 11 to form a ‘Board of Little Experts’, which plays an important part in deciding which cool elements make it to KidsCon this year.

“With almost 60% of Africa’s population under 25 years old, listening to, and taking direction from the kids on the ‘Board of Little Experts’ is vital in shaping not only the most incredible festival experience, but it also lays the foundation for an intuitive, inclusive and representative society. They grow up with technologies and tools many of us could only have dreamt of at that age. Plus, they have a brilliant way of thinking outside the box that can surprise even the most creative of adults,” said Carla Massmann, Comic Con Africa Show Director.

‘Board meetings’ might sound boring… but this is where we find creative ways of discovering what’s fun out there and what they want. Coming from different backgrounds, and having varying interests and opinions on topics such as gaming, fashion, food, books and so much more, makes the board more dynamic and fun! From doing unboxing reviews, engaging in conversation, comparing what they like and don’t like as well as voting on certain games, gadgets and kids' gear, the ‘Board of Little Experts’ provides welcomed insight into what South African kids want to uncover at every turn.

“Even though we can’t bring a spaceship to the show or build a hall out of candy quite yet, our little experts have wonderful insights into the things that excite them. We also build incredible content with them, such as unboxing, game reviews, and art tutorials to name just a few. This year’s board have really surprised us, sharing so much creativity and inspiration, they are a confident bunch that gives us a taste of our future leaders and go-getters ” continued Massmann.

Kids have an incredible four days of fun to look forward to this year with more activities on offer than ever. There’ll be daily Kids Karaoke competitions, along with that are super-fun Just Dance challenges, Mario Kart races, Transformer Speed Builds, and so many other activities taking place live on the Kids Con stage every day!

Families can now look forward to a bigger and better KidsCon experience with daily cosplay and dress-up competitions with some stunning prizes. Other highlights will include the latest and greatest in toys and kids lifestyle products, KidsCon Comic and Art, Kids Tech, and of course tons for our Gamer Kids to thrill and delight.

One of the highlights in the gaming space will be the KidsCon E-sports tournament powered by RGB Gaming. The two-day tournament will see 64 players from 16 schools duke it out to decide who walks away with bragging rights and stunning prizes as the top team of the event. There will also be two days of free play where everything from robotics, esports and game-based learning to coding, build challenges, and 3D printing will be available to experience.

Buy your tickets today for the ultimate family day out and learn about all the amazing things Comic Con Africa and KidsCon has in store for the little ones by clicking HERE.

Comic Con Africa Information - 

Comic Con Africa, Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture and gaming festival, will be taking place in Johannesburg and Cape Town this year. For the latest Comic Con Africa 2022 news and updates, be sure to connect online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricaComicCon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ComicConAfrica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comicconafrica_official/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyeKw1HRrkpSJ5FJgXmtVCQ

Get tickets: https://bit.ly/CCA2022_Tickets

About Comic Con Africa

Comic Con Africa is Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture, gaming, and fan festival. The festival features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements including cosplay, comic books, anime, manga, tech, film and series, gaming (including video, mobile and esports) toys, gadgets, clothing, collectable card games, fantasy/sci-fi books and authors as well as the ever-popular Artists' Alley. The inaugural 2018 event welcomed over 42 000 visitors (ABC Audited) and 2019 saw over 70 000. In 2019 KidsCon was a new addition to the festival, allowing for the festival to be the ultimate family day out with loads of activities for all to enjoy.

This year Comic Con Africa will see 2 new additions at the festival StreamerCon and StreetCon. StreamerCon presents the magic and wonder of online - In Real Life. Bringing together everyone involved in making, watching, promoting, and creating the future of online video content. StreamerCon will host digital creators, platform innovators, and their fans, all in one place.

StreetCon is where streetwear and pop culture enthusiasts meet. This festival of brands, people and trends, celebrates current and upcoming trends in pop culture and urban culture. StreetCon is a place where street artists, curators and YOU converge to celebrate and shape our culture. Features the latest in the new fashion, merchandise, talent and emerging artist and creators.

A single Comic Con Africa ticket gets you to access to all these features and attractions at Johannesburg Expo Centre NASREC on 22 – 25 September 2022. (www.comicconafrica.co.za)

Comic Con Africa is owned by Reed Exhibitions (Pty) Ltd and used under license by Mogull Media Proprietary Limited.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Support me if you want with USD FOUR - https://www.patreon.com/TheLifesWay Namaste!

If You Love Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic Check Out @disneyplus #DisneyPlus

Hi Friends, 

Disney+, the streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, launches today in South Africa. Standard pricing at launch is confirmed at R119 per month, or R1190 for an annual subscription, with sign-up information available at disneyplus.com. Annual membership is at a discount as you get only charged for 10 months just like the school fees! 

With over 1000 films, more than 1500 series and a slate of 200 exclusive Originals from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and general entertainment from Star, Disney+ offer fans the greatest stories, all in one place.

Previously announced, subscribers will have access to Star Wars “The Book of Boba Fett”, both seasons of “The Mandalorian” and, the highly anticipated “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. In addition, Disney+ will be the home of the entire Skywalker saga, with Star Wars Episodes 1 through 9 streaming on the service.

Confirmed from launch, superhero fans will have access to over 60 Marvel Studios’ films including Academy Award®-nominated “Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings”, “Eternals”, “Avengers: Endgame” and “Captain Marvel”, and over 80 Marvel Studios’ series including “Moon Knight”, “Loki” and “WandaVision”.

Subscribers will also be able to enjoy over 100 titles from Disney and Pixar, including the entire “Toy Story” franchise, the Academy Award®-winning “Soul” and the Academy Award®-nominated “Luca”. From Walt Disney Animation Studios, stream the Academy Award®-winning “Encanto” which tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, and fan favourites “Frozen” and “Frozen II”. Disney fans can also stream the Academy Award®-winning “Cruella” starring Emma Stone as the legendary “Cruella de Vil” and Disney’s “Jungle Cruise.”

National Geographic documentaries including “The Rescue” and “Free Solo”, from Academy Award®-winning directors and producers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, will sit alongside popular National Geographic series such as “The World According To Jeff Goldblum” and “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted”.

In general entertainment, subscribers will also be able to watch titles including the hit original comedy series “Only Murders in the Building,” limited series “Pam and Tommy”, “The Kardashians”, “Queens”, and mystery thriller “Death on the Nile”, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, as well as “The Simpsons” and back seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy”, “9-1-1", and “Black-ish”.

With unprecedented access to Disney’s vault, beloved classics such as "Cinderella”, “Tangled”, “The Princess and the Frog”, and "The Little Mermaid”, will be available to stream alongside recent blockbusters like “Raya and the Last Dragon”. There will also be hundreds of Disney Channel series, shorts, and specials available to stream, including “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” and “Phineas and Ferb”.

Users will have access to features like high-quality viewing, up to four concurrent streams, 4k video quality for select titles and the ability to set up to seven different profiles, including the ability for parents to create pin-protected profiles, ensuring kids access age-appropriate content. SIGN UP TODAY!

I am personally liking the content of the various Disney+ shows and movies - so far I have watched RISE, MULAN, Only Murders in the Building, Da Vinci's Demons (All 3 seasons) and so much more. I am looking forward to watching some of the shows from Nat Geo like Genius (all 3 seasons) and various other documentaries available on the streaming platform for binge-watching.  

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Support me if you want with USD FOUR - https://www.patreon.com/TheLifesWay Namaste!

A New Lineup of @HuaweiZA Products Launching On #XperienceHUAWEI 2022

Hi Friends, 

A Premium Foldable Smartphone, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2, an Elegant High-Performance MateBook, and the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro, amongst other super products.

X marks the date as this August, the HUAWEI Consumer Business Group will be showcasing a new lineup of products, including their flagship foldable smartphone, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2, their flagship MateBook, and the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro laptop.

In conjunction, HUAWEI is also launching the HUAWEI MatePad 10.4, the HUAWEI MateBook D16, the HUAWEI Watch Fit 2, the HUAWEI Band 7 and the HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro.

Enjoy an all-scenario, seamless AI experience

HUAWEI is constantly working towards innovation that provides the ultimate digital experience for consumers. The cutting-edge features offer a user experience that fulfils the vision of an all-scenario seamless AI experience. All HUAWEI products are endowed with technological innovation in aesthetics, display, performance, connectivity and interaction, designed for maximum creativity and unified communication.

HUAWEI products are based around two core capabilities: cross-device collaboration and ecosystem integration. This means you can enjoy the Super Device capabilities, that bring convenient collaboration and higher efficiency when multitasking.

The noteworthy product features

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 has brought yet another breakthrough in aesthetic design, with its first innovative 3D Fiberglass Design for more refined textures.

While the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro represents the ultimate smart flagship laptop for professionals who have high expectations. Its high-performance and hybrid architecture efficiently enable you to handle complex tasks.

The all-new HUAWEI MatePad 10.4 is a new-generation mid-range tablet, suitable for both students and professionals. It comes with a great Full-View Display and an exceptional immersive sound. The HUAWEI MatePad 10.4 is also compatible with the HUAWEI M-Pencil Package and offers multiple smart ways to get tasks done. It also has futuristic Super Device features in addition to its wide range of notetaking apps.

With the move towards remote working and studying, there is an increased demand for large-screen, high-performance and lightweight laptops. Thankfully, you can get all these features with the new HUAWEI MateBook D 16, which is set to meet and exceed these demands.

When thinking about a smart band what usually comes to mind is a simple wearable that tracks fitness indicators and relays the data to an app. Their displays are often small and basic and lack more integrated health features which are reserved for high-end smartwatches in most cases.

Bridging this gap is the soon be launched HUAWEI Band 7, the Ultra-Thin Smart Band with a Long Battery Life that comes with impressive health management and workout monitoring features. This stylish wearable is for the always-on-the-move fitness gurus.

HUAWEI’s latest smartwatch marries leading technology with a sleek and fashionable design. The HUAWEI WATCH FIT 2 gracefully blends technology with fashion, making it the ideal smartwatch for every fashionista out there. It’s trendy and modern with its large and sharp 1.74-inch AMOLED HD HUAWEI Full-View display but is also smart and practical with Bluetooth calling, 10-days battery life and numerous health and fitness features.

Also launching will be the new HUAWEI WATCH GT 3 Pro - It features an outstanding luxurious design and makes use of remarkable high-end materials with luxury-grade polishing to achieve its unique look. Not to mention the mind-blowing battery life and professional health management features. What's more, it is compatible with HUAWEI devices as well as other Android and iOS devices. HUAWEI has found a recipe to create the latest must-have smartwatch that blends premium design and top-notch tech!

Whether you are a tech enthusiast or fashionista, look no further than these HUAWEI products, coming soon to South Africa! Be sure to watch the press for more details on Xperience HUAWEI 2022.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

New Year Resolutions - Week 30 Achievements & Failures #TheLifesWay

Hi Friends,

Week 30 was a week where I completed a lot of stuff which have been pending on me from submitting the documents to the school for Grade 8 to various other things too. Mom and Dad too left for the United States and I also visited the Radhey Shyam Temple in Marlboro after a long gap of time. 

Week 30 - Sat 23 Jul 2022 - Fri 29 Jul 2022

1. Walking - I completed the 20 kilometres for the week which took the total kilometres to 592 by the end of 29th July 2022. This has been the longest I have ever achieved in a single year. Consistency is the key guys to achieving feats that you don't think you can earlier. 

2. Entertainment - I received the Disney+ annual membership plan from the Disney Africa team. I immediately login and created some profiles for the family. I am loving the new content which I was not watching earlier. I immediately started watching the first season of Da Vinci's Demons and finished it in a single sitting despite it running at 1x speed. My son is loving the Spiderman content which includes some new shorts, all movies and other cartoons on the platform. Thanks, Disney Africa! I only find that there should be a playback speed which needs to be added so that the content can be played at a faster speed of 1.25, 1.5,1.75 and 2. 

3. Books/Audiobooks - I completed The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime! by M. J. DeMarco which took me a lot of time as this is one of the best ones if you want to change your money and growth mindset. You can check it on Audible by Amazon. I started listening to another interesting one called The Mind of a Consultant by Sandeep K. Krishnan which is also available on Audible here. It definitely reminded me of all the MBA days when I used to live those principles sincerely to imbibe them in myself. Over the years, I have gained experience but the edge was getting blunt instead of keeping it sharp. I got the feeling that all these books on Kindle and audiobooks from Audible are taking me to the best of my ability. 

4. Thank You - I moved the counter to zero and took it towards 30500 by the end of the week. I took a break from this activity in the previous weeks and still need to find my love for doing the same. I am not feeling complete as if I am looking for something and not happy much despite doing everything I want to do in my life. Feeling content should be the main priority in our life. 

5. YouTube Monetisation - This week I broke my own records of the highest one-day revenue from USD 1.76 to 1.89 to 2.45 to 3.28 dollars on 28-Jul-22. This has been my highest so far even today for a single-day revenue. I didn't do any promotions and any other push, I think this may be because of the good CPM etc on some of the videos. 

Getting YouTube monetised and making the best out of it is my goal these days. I have been focused on trying out various kinds of content to get my first viral video. Once a viral video happens then there will be a good path for the future content and revenue stream too. You can now support me on the Patreon account also - https://www.patreon.com/TheLifesWay Thanks!!!

Week 29

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!