Songza

Google paid $39M for AI music curation based on activity and mood — then shut Songza 6 months after acquisition and integrated the technology into Google Play Music

Fatal mistake: Songza built AI-curated music playlists based on activity, mood, and time of day. Raised $10M. 5.5M monthly users. Google acquired Songza for $39M in July 2014. Google used Songza's music curation technology for Google Play Music and eventually Google Music. Shut Songza in January 2015 — 6 months after acquisition. Curation features integrated into Google Play Music.