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== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
Chris Barton was born and raised in the [[United States]], in California. His father, [[John P. Barton]], was a professor in [[nuclear physics]], and his mother, Claudia F. Barton, was a professor in the field of [[computer science]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=David F. |title=Name That Tune, From Your Cellphone |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/28/business/technology-name-that-tune-from-your-cellphone.html |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Newnham |first=Danielle |url=https://www.amazon.com/Mad-Men-Mobile-Entrepreneurs-Innovators/dp/1494266563 |title=Mad Men of Mobile: Leading Entrepreneurs and Innovators Share Their Stories, from SIRI to SHAZAM |date=2013-12-17 |publisher=Amazon|isbn=978-1-4942-6656-1 |language=English}}</ref> His father is British and his mother is French, which he cites as giving him both the interest in living in the UK and the passport to do so;<ref name="maasdorp" /> his parents also set up a physics consultancy, which he credits as inspiration for his choice of an entrepreneurial career.<ref name="ft" />
Chris Barton was born and raised in the [[United States]], in California. His father, [[John P. Barton]], was a professor in [[nuclear physics]], and his mother, Claudia F. Barton, was a professor in the field of [[computer science]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=David F. |title=Name That Tune, From Your Cellphone |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/28/business/technology-name-that-tune-from-your-cellphone.html |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The New York Times|date=28 October 2002 }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Newnham |first=Danielle |title=Mad Men of Mobile: Leading Entrepreneurs and Innovators Share Their Stories, from SIRI to SHAZAM |date=2013-12-17 |isbn=978-1-4942-6656-1 |language=English}}</ref> His father is British and his mother is French, which he cites as giving him both the interest in living in the UK and the passport to do so;<ref name="maasdorp" /> his parents also set up a physics consultancy, which he credits as inspiration for his choice of an entrepreneurial career.<ref name="ft" />


Barton graduated from [[University of California, Berkeley]], with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] (BA) degree in Economics, and later pursued a [[Master of Business Administration]] (MBA) degree from the same institution.<ref name="ft">{{cite news |last1=Jacobs |first1=Emma |title=Shazam: the app that calls the tune |url=https://www.ft.com/content/88df8fa6-893e-11e3-bb5f-00144feab7de |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=Financial Times |date=31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jolly |first1=Adam |title=Going for a song and growth |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/enterprise-network-going-for-a-song-and-growth-bx69zgclx0v |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The Sunday Times |date=29 May 2002 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Chris Barton - Founder, CEO at Shazam & Guard Inc. Biography |url=https://buildd.co/startup/founder-stories/chris-barton |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=build}}</ref> Barton also earned a [[Master of Finance|Master in Finance]] degree from the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Founder of Shazam {{!}} Innovation Speaker {{!}} Chris Barton |url=https://chrisjbarton.com/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Founder Of Shazam {{!}} Innovation Keynote Speaker {{!}} Chris Barton |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
Barton graduated from [[University of California, Berkeley]], with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] (BA) degree in Economics, and later pursued a [[Master of Business Administration]] (MBA) degree from the same institution.<ref name="ft">{{cite news |last1=Jacobs |first1=Emma |title=Shazam: the app that calls the tune |url=https://www.ft.com/content/88df8fa6-893e-11e3-bb5f-00144feab7de |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=Financial Times |date=31 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jolly |first1=Adam |title=Going for a song and growth |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/enterprise-network-going-for-a-song-and-growth-bx69zgclx0v |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=The Sunday Times |date=29 May 2002 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Chris Barton - Founder, CEO at Shazam & Guard Inc. Biography |url=https://buildd.co/startup/founder-stories/chris-barton |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=build}}</ref> Barton also earned a [[Master of Finance|Master in Finance]] degree from the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Founder of Shazam {{!}} Innovation Speaker {{!}} Chris Barton |url=https://chrisjbarton.com/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Founder Of Shazam {{!}} Innovation Keynote Speaker {{!}} Chris Barton |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
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===Shazam===
===Shazam===
In summer 1999 while on a summer internship in his MBA program, Barton conceived of the idea for [[Shazam (application)|Shazam]] initially as a service to let consumers know what songs were playing on the radio. That fall, Barton's idea pivoted to song name identification based on recording the song's audio and pattern-matching it to known tunes,<ref name=":5" />, an idea he conceived while in the bath.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Daniel |title=How do you turn your tech start-up into a global giant? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34731456 |website=BBC News |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref> After identifying their initial business model ([[Premium SMS]]), Barton co-founded Shazam in 2000, alongside Philip Inghelbrecht and Dhiraj Mukherjee as co-founders, and later, Avery Wang as the fourth co-founder.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sheppard |first=Emma |date=2016-12-07 |title=Shazam co-founder: 'We were growing a business in a collapsing market' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/dec/07/shazam-co-founder-we-were-growing-a-business-in-a-collapsing-market |access-date=2023-09-10 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gillies |first=Trent |date=2015-06-14 |title=Shazam names that tune, drawing in money and users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sampat |first=Rahul |title=Snaps & claps: the story of Berkeley alums and Shazam's $400M Apple acquisition |url=https://blogs.haas.berkeley.edu/the-berkeley-mba/uc-berkeley-grads-shazam-acquisition |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=blogs.haas.berkeley.edu |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Holl |first=Kristi |url=https://www.amazon.com/Shazam-Its-Creators-Internet-Biographies/dp/1477779256 |title=Shazam and Its Creators |date=2014-12-30 |publisher=Rosen Young Adult |isbn=978-1-4777-7925-5 |language=English}}</ref> Barton located the company in London, based on its proximity to [[Nokia]], the leading cellphone manufacturer of the time, and the UK's world-leading (at the time) per-capita purchase volume of music.<ref name=":5" />
In summer 1999 while on a summer internship in his MBA program, Barton conceived of the idea for [[Shazam (application)|Shazam]] initially as a service to let consumers know what songs were playing on the radio. That fall, Barton's idea pivoted to song name identification based on recording the song's audio and pattern-matching it to known tunes,<ref name=":5" />, an idea he conceived while in the bath.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Daniel |title=How do you turn your tech start-up into a global giant? |work=BBC News |date=6 November 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34731456 |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref> After identifying their initial business model ([[Premium SMS]]), Barton co-founded Shazam in 2000, alongside Philip Inghelbrecht and Dhiraj Mukherjee as co-founders, and later, Avery Wang as the fourth co-founder.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sheppard |first=Emma |date=2016-12-07 |title=Shazam co-founder: 'We were growing a business in a collapsing market' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2016/dec/07/shazam-co-founder-we-were-growing-a-business-in-a-collapsing-market |access-date=2023-09-10 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gillies |first=Trent |date=2015-06-14 |title=Shazam names that tune, drawing in money and users |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/14/shazam-names-that-tune-drawing-in-money-and-users.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sampat |first=Rahul |title=Snaps & claps: the story of Berkeley alums and Shazam's $400M Apple acquisition |url=https://blogs.haas.berkeley.edu/the-berkeley-mba/uc-berkeley-grads-shazam-acquisition |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=blogs.haas.berkeley.edu |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Holl |first=Kristi |title=Shazam and Its Creators |date=2014-12-30 |publisher=Rosen Young Adult |isbn=978-1-4777-7925-5 |language=English}}</ref> Barton located the company in London, based on its proximity to [[Nokia]], the leading cellphone manufacturer of the time, and the UK's world-leading (at the time) per-capita purchase volume of music.<ref name=":5" />


During his early tenure with Shazam, as CEO, Barton raised angel funding for the company, buoyed by a summer 2020 technology breakthrough from technical co-founder Avery Wang which enabled him to perform live demos at fundraising pitches.<ref name="silva">{{cite book |last1=Silva |first1=JP |title=Startups in Action: The critical Year One choices that built Etsy, HotelTonight, Fiverr and more |date=2020 |pages=14-24 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Startups_in_Action/LaHiDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA14&printsec=frontcover}}</ref> He secured initial content and distribution partnerships, including with 4 key mobile operators in the UK. In 2002, he and his co-founders hired Jerry Roest as CEO, who oversaw the run-up to launch that August; Barton continued in an advisory role, and then left to join Google in early 2004.<ref name=":5" /> He participated in Shazam's governance as Board Director until 2018, when Shazam was acquired by Apple.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="pod">{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Julie |date=2023-05-31 |title=Chris Barton on the story of Shazam, doing the impossible and a start from zero mindset |url=https://juliemasters.com/chris-barton-on-the-story-of-shazam-doing-the-impossible-and-a-start-from-zero-mindset/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=JULIE MASTERS |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":6" />
During his early tenure with Shazam, as CEO, Barton raised angel funding for the company, buoyed by a summer 2020 technology breakthrough from technical co-founder Avery Wang which enabled him to perform live demos at fundraising pitches.<ref name="silva">{{cite book |last1=Silva |first1=JP |title=Startups in Action: The critical Year One choices that built Etsy, HotelTonight, Fiverr and more |date=2020 |pages=14–24 |publisher=Apress |isbn=9781484257876 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LaHiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14}}</ref> He secured initial content and distribution partnerships, including with 4 key mobile operators in the UK. In 2002, he and his co-founders hired Jerry Roest as CEO, who oversaw the run-up to launch that August; Barton continued in an advisory role, and then left to join Google in early 2004.<ref name=":5" /> He participated in Shazam's governance as Board Director until 2018, when Shazam was acquired by Apple.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="pod">{{Cite web |last=Masters |first=Julie |date=2023-05-31 |title=Chris Barton on the story of Shazam, doing the impossible and a start from zero mindset |url=https://juliemasters.com/chris-barton-on-the-story-of-shazam-doing-the-impossible-and-a-start-from-zero-mindset/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=JULIE MASTERS |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":6" />


On September 24, 2018, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] acquired Shazam for a reported $400 million.<ref name="tc">{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=2018-09-24 |title=Apple closes its $400M Shazam acquisition and says the music recognition app will soon become ad free |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/24/apple-closes-its-shazam-acquisition-and-says-the-music-recognition-app-will-soon-become-ad-free/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /> In 2022, Apple announced that Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kane |first1=Brendan |title=Eine Million Follower: Wie man in nur 30 Tagen seine Social-Media-Präsenz massiv erhöht |date=2023 |publisher=REDLINE Verlag |location=München |isbn=9783962674854 |edition=1. Auflage}}</ref> In 2012, Shazam announced that it drove over $300 million a year in [[Music download|music downloads]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Shazam turns 20 |url=https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2022/08/shazam-turns-20/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Apple Newsroom (Australia) |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shazam Is Generating Big Bucks for iTunes and Amazon |url=https://www.spin.com/2013/05/shazam-profit-making-money-downloads-300-million/}}</ref> The company had raised $143.5 million in [[venture capital]] financing and its investors included [[Kleiner Perkins]], [[DN Capital]], [[Institutional Venture Partners|IVP]], [[Sony Music]], [[Universal Music]] and [[Warner Music]].<ref name="tc"/>
On September 24, 2018, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] acquired Shazam for a reported $400 million.<ref name="tc">{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=2018-09-24 |title=Apple closes its $400M Shazam acquisition and says the music recognition app will soon become ad free |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/24/apple-closes-its-shazam-acquisition-and-says-the-music-recognition-app-will-soon-become-ad-free/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /> In 2022, Apple announced that Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kane |first1=Brendan |title=Eine Million Follower: Wie man in nur 30 Tagen seine Social-Media-Präsenz massiv erhöht |date=2023 |publisher=REDLINE Verlag |location=München |isbn=9783962674854 |edition=1. Auflage}}</ref> In 2012, Shazam announced that it drove over $300 million a year in [[Music download|music downloads]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Shazam turns 20 |url=https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2022/08/shazam-turns-20/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Apple Newsroom (Australia) |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shazam Is Generating Big Bucks for iTunes and Amazon |url=https://www.spin.com/2013/05/shazam-profit-making-money-downloads-300-million/}}</ref> The company had raised $143.5 million in [[venture capital]] financing and its investors included [[Kleiner Perkins]], [[DN Capital]], [[Institutional Venture Partners|IVP]], [[Sony Music]], [[Universal Music]] and [[Warner Music]].<ref name="tc"/>


===Google and Dropbox===
===Google and Dropbox===
From 2004 until 2016, Barton held roles at [[Google]] and [[Dropbox]], focusing on areas such as [[Android (operating system)|Android]] business development and establishing partnerships with mobile operators.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=2023-09-13 |title=In Antitrust Trial, Former Google Employee Details History of Search Deals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/technology/google-search-antitrust.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Barton was the first business development employee at Google to focus on mobile partnerships.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Googler testifies under DOJ grilling that his priority was default status for the search engine on mobile |url=https://fortune.com/2023/09/13/google-antitrust-trial-department-justice-default-search-engine-mobile/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Osorio |first1=Roger |title=The Journey To Reinvention |date=27 September 2022 |isbn=9798885045322}}</ref> He joined Dropbox in late 2012, leading their partnerships with mobile operators.<ref name="maasdorp">{{cite web |last1=Maasdorp |first1=Nix |title=Chris Barton on finding the sweet spot |url=https://medium.com/dropbox-growers/chris-barton-on-finding-the-sweet-spot-f87fa6aa944a |website=Dropbox Growers |publisher=Medium |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>
From 2004 until 2016, Barton held roles at [[Google]] and [[Dropbox]], focusing on areas such as [[Android (operating system)|Android]] business development and establishing partnerships with mobile operators.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=2023-09-13 |title=In Antitrust Trial, Former Google Employee Details History of Search Deals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/technology/google-search-antitrust.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Barton was the first business development employee at Google to focus on mobile partnerships.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Googler testifies under DOJ grilling that his priority was default status for the search engine on mobile |url=https://fortune.com/2023/09/13/google-antitrust-trial-department-justice-default-search-engine-mobile/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Osorio |first1=Roger |title=The Journey To Reinvention |date=27 September 2022 |publisher=New Degree Press |isbn=9798885045322}}</ref> He joined Dropbox in late 2012, leading their partnerships with mobile operators.<ref name="maasdorp">{{cite web |last1=Maasdorp |first1=Nix |title=Chris Barton on finding the sweet spot |url=https://medium.com/dropbox-growers/chris-barton-on-finding-the-sweet-spot-f87fa6aa944a |website=Dropbox Growers |date=10 February 2015 |publisher=Medium |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>


Barton holds 12 patents including two for [[Google]] and five for [[Dropbox]]. One of these patents is employed within the [[PageRank|Google Search algorithm]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google Patents |url=https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Chris+barton&oq=Chris+barton |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=patents.google.com}}</ref>
Barton holds 12 patents including two for [[Google]] and five for [[Dropbox]]. One of these patents is employed within the [[PageRank|Google Search algorithm]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google Patents |url=https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Chris+barton&oq=Chris+barton |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=patents.google.com}}</ref>


Barton was a witness at the ''[[United States v. Google LLC (2023)|United States v. Google LLC]]'' antimonopoly trial held in Washington D.C. in 2023.<ref name=":9"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Google Trial Spills Details on Search Engine’s Deals With Apple, Samsung |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-trial-spills-details-on-search-engines-deals-with-apple-samsung-f8aaa467 |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=WSJ}}</ref>
Barton was a witness at the ''[[United States v. Google LLC (2023)|United States v. Google LLC]]'' antimonopoly trial held in Washington D.C. in 2023.<ref name=":9"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Google Trial Spills Details on Search Engine's Deals With Apple, Samsung |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-trial-spills-details-on-search-engines-deals-with-apple-samsung-f8aaa467 |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=WSJ}}</ref>


===Guard===
===Guard===
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Barton had undiagnosed [[dyslexia]]-related challenges and [[ADHD]] during his childhood.<ref name="pod"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Melissa |title=Chris Barton: A Story of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Discovery |url=https://blog.damelionetwork.com/chris-barton-a-story-of-entrepreneurship-innovation-and-discovery |website=D'Amelio Network |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>
Barton had undiagnosed [[dyslexia]]-related challenges and [[ADHD]] during his childhood.<ref name="pod"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Melissa |title=Chris Barton: A Story of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Discovery |url=https://blog.damelionetwork.com/chris-barton-a-story-of-entrepreneurship-innovation-and-discovery |website=D'Amelio Network |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>


Barton appeared in a [[Super Bowl]] television advertisement in 2012 for [[Best Buy]], alongside [[Ray Kurzweil]] and [[Kevin Systrom]], the founder of [[Instagram]].<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-28 |title=Super Bowl ads: Mobile innovators download in Best Buy Web video series (video) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/super-bowl-ads-mobile-innovators-download-in-best-buy-web-video-series-video/2012/02/06/gIQAbLQ3tQ_blog.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Washington Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-06 |title=Best Buy's Super Bowl commercial highlights mobile tech innovators |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/best-buy-super-bowl-commercial/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref>
Barton appeared in a [[Super Bowl]] television advertisement in 2012 for [[Best Buy]], alongside [[Ray Kurzweil]] and [[Kevin Systrom]], the founder of [[Instagram]].<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-28 |title=Super Bowl ads: Mobile innovators download in Best Buy Web video series (video) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/super-bowl-ads-mobile-innovators-download-in-best-buy-web-video-series-video/2012/02/06/gIQAbLQ3tQ_blog.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-06 |title=Best Buy's Super Bowl commercial highlights mobile tech innovators |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/best-buy-super-bowl-commercial/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 13:20, 2 January 2024

Chris Barton
Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California
University of Cambridge
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, inventor, keynote speaker
Known forCo-founding Shazam[1][2][3]
Websitechrisjbarton.com

Chris Barton is an American tech entrepreneur, inventor, investor, and keynote speaker. He founded Shazam, a music identification application, and was its first CEO.[1][4][5][6]

Early life and education

Chris Barton was born and raised in the United States, in California. His father, John P. Barton, was a professor in nuclear physics, and his mother, Claudia F. Barton, was a professor in the field of computer science.[7][8] His father is British and his mother is French, which he cites as giving him both the interest in living in the UK and the passport to do so;[9] his parents also set up a physics consultancy, which he credits as inspiration for his choice of an entrepreneurial career.[1]

Barton graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics, and later pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the same institution.[1][10][11] Barton also earned a Master in Finance degree from the University of Cambridge.[12][11]

Career

Barton's career began with several years as a strategy consultant at the L.E.K. Consulting in London and the San Francisco Consulting Group, and it also included an internship at Microsoft.[11]

Shazam

In summer 1999 while on a summer internship in his MBA program, Barton conceived of the idea for Shazam initially as a service to let consumers know what songs were playing on the radio. That fall, Barton's idea pivoted to song name identification based on recording the song's audio and pattern-matching it to known tunes,[8], an idea he conceived while in the bath.[13] After identifying their initial business model (Premium SMS), Barton co-founded Shazam in 2000, alongside Philip Inghelbrecht and Dhiraj Mukherjee as co-founders, and later, Avery Wang as the fourth co-founder.[14][15][16][6][17] Barton located the company in London, based on its proximity to Nokia, the leading cellphone manufacturer of the time, and the UK's world-leading (at the time) per-capita purchase volume of music.[8]

During his early tenure with Shazam, as CEO, Barton raised angel funding for the company, buoyed by a summer 2020 technology breakthrough from technical co-founder Avery Wang which enabled him to perform live demos at fundraising pitches.[18] He secured initial content and distribution partnerships, including with 4 key mobile operators in the UK. In 2002, he and his co-founders hired Jerry Roest as CEO, who oversaw the run-up to launch that August; Barton continued in an advisory role, and then left to join Google in early 2004.[8] He participated in Shazam's governance as Board Director until 2018, when Shazam was acquired by Apple.[11][19][17]

On September 24, 2018, Apple acquired Shazam for a reported $400 million.[20][5][21] In 2022, Apple announced that Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times.[22] In 2012, Shazam announced that it drove over $300 million a year in music downloads.[23][24] The company had raised $143.5 million in venture capital financing and its investors included Kleiner Perkins, DN Capital, IVP, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music.[20]

Google and Dropbox

From 2004 until 2016, Barton held roles at Google and Dropbox, focusing on areas such as Android business development and establishing partnerships with mobile operators.[25] Barton was the first business development employee at Google to focus on mobile partnerships.[12][11][25][26][27] He joined Dropbox in late 2012, leading their partnerships with mobile operators.[9]

Barton holds 12 patents including two for Google and five for Dropbox. One of these patents is employed within the Google Search algorithm.[28]

Barton was a witness at the United States v. Google LLC antimonopoly trial held in Washington D.C. in 2023.[25][29]

Guard

In 2018, he founded Guard Inc., a startup that employs artificial intelligence technology to prevent drowning incidents in swimming pools. Since then, Barton has served as the CEO of the company.[11][21]

Personal life

Barton had undiagnosed dyslexia-related challenges and ADHD during his childhood.[19][30]

Barton appeared in a Super Bowl television advertisement in 2012 for Best Buy, alongside Ray Kurzweil and Kevin Systrom, the founder of Instagram.[21][31][32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jacobs, Emma (31 January 2014). "Shazam: the app that calls the tune". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  2. ^ Keegan, Victor (25 April 2002). "Heard it thru' the mobile". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  3. ^ Mulligan, Mark (2015). Awakening: The Music Industry In The Digital Age. London: MIDiA Research. ISBN 9781514143988.
  4. ^ "Meet Chris Barton, founder of music recognition app Shazam". businesschief.asia. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  5. ^ a b Singleton, Micah (2017-12-11). "Apple confirms it has acquired Shazam". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  6. ^ a b "How Shazam Makes Unique Audio Fingerprints to Identify Songs". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  7. ^ Gallagher, David F. (28 October 2002). "Name That Tune, From Your Cellphone". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Newnham, Danielle (2013-12-17). Mad Men of Mobile: Leading Entrepreneurs and Innovators Share Their Stories, from SIRI to SHAZAM. ISBN 978-1-4942-6656-1.
  9. ^ a b Maasdorp, Nix (10 February 2015). "Chris Barton on finding the sweet spot". Dropbox Growers. Medium. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  10. ^ Jolly, Adam (29 May 2002). "Going for a song and growth". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Chris Barton - Founder, CEO at Shazam & Guard Inc. Biography". build. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  12. ^ a b "Founder of Shazam | Innovation Speaker | Chris Barton". Founder Of Shazam | Innovation Keynote Speaker | Chris Barton. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  13. ^ Thomas, Daniel (6 November 2015). "How do you turn your tech start-up into a global giant?". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  14. ^ Sheppard, Emma (2016-12-07). "Shazam co-founder: 'We were growing a business in a collapsing market'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  15. ^ Gillies, Trent (2015-06-14). "Shazam names that tune, drawing in money and users". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  16. ^ Sampat, Rahul. "Snaps & claps: the story of Berkeley alums and Shazam's $400M Apple acquisition". blogs.haas.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  17. ^ a b Holl, Kristi (2014-12-30). Shazam and Its Creators. Rosen Young Adult. ISBN 978-1-4777-7925-5.
  18. ^ Silva, JP (2020). Startups in Action: The critical Year One choices that built Etsy, HotelTonight, Fiverr and more. Apress. pp. 14–24. ISBN 9781484257876.
  19. ^ a b Masters, Julie (2023-05-31). "Chris Barton on the story of Shazam, doing the impossible and a start from zero mindset". JULIE MASTERS. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  20. ^ a b Lunden, Ingrid (2018-09-24). "Apple closes its $400M Shazam acquisition and says the music recognition app will soon become ad free". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  21. ^ a b c "The Power of Perseverance | Shazam Co-Founder Chris Barton on Making the Impossible Possible". tonyrobbins.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  22. ^ Kane, Brendan (2023). Eine Million Follower: Wie man in nur 30 Tagen seine Social-Media-Präsenz massiv erhöht (1. Auflage ed.). München: REDLINE Verlag. ISBN 9783962674854.
  23. ^ "Shazam turns 20". Apple Newsroom (Australia). Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  24. ^ "Shazam Is Generating Big Bucks for iTunes and Amazon".
  25. ^ a b c "In Antitrust Trial, Former Google Employee Details History of Search Deals". The New York Times. 2023-09-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  26. ^ "Former Googler testifies under DOJ grilling that his priority was default status for the search engine on mobile". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  27. ^ Osorio, Roger (27 September 2022). The Journey To Reinvention. New Degree Press. ISBN 9798885045322.
  28. ^ "Google Patents". patents.google.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  29. ^ "Google Trial Spills Details on Search Engine's Deals With Apple, Samsung". WSJ. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  30. ^ Murphy, Melissa. "Chris Barton: A Story of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Discovery". D'Amelio Network. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Super Bowl ads: Mobile innovators download in Best Buy Web video series (video)". Washington Post. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  32. ^ "Best Buy's Super Bowl commercial highlights mobile tech innovators". VentureBeat. 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2023-09-10.

External links


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