| WatZatSong | |
| Launch Date: | 2006 |
| Type: | Song indentification and social networking service |
| Num Employees: | 3+ |
| Language: | English and French |
| Country Of Origin: | France |
| Registration: | Yes |
| Current Status: | Active |
WatZatSong (stylized as WatZat♫Song?), is a French music identification and social networking website created by French programmers and co-founders Raphaël Arbuz and Thibault Vanhulle in 2006.
The website allows users to upload files in formats such as .mp3, .aac, .wav, .m4a, and .ogg. When logged in, users can upload these files onto the website. Posts can also be transformed into quizzes where users guess the song instead of providing a direct answer. Other users can then comment and recommend specific YouTube videos, as well as provide the song's title and musician. Both the uploader and other users can engage in speculation regarding the legitimacy of a proposed song or artist in a Proposals section under the post's information, expressing their opinions through likes or dislikes. Once a post is solved, a seekbar appears above it, enabling users to listen to the complete song. The post remains open for discussion unless the uploader decides to delete it. Moderators have the authority to delete uploads, comments, and suggestions that violate the platform's terms of service.
Users have the option to acquire a Premium pass on the website prior to uploading their post, granting their upload the privilege of being showcased on the front page. This feature applies to individual posts and can be purchased multiple times for different uploads made by the user. Users also earn awards on their profiles based on the number of songs or quizzes they have successfully identified.
The website's inception traces back to 2005 when Raphaël Arbuz and Thibault Vanhulle, intrigued by online music quizzes, encountered a song they couldn't recall during one of their quizzes. Vanhulle conceived an idea of creating a platform where users could hum a tune to identify songs. Arbuz embraced the concept, leading to their collaboration on coding and early production efforts from 2005 to 2006. Additionally, they enlisted the contribution of Arbuz's classmate, Erez Abittan, to further develop the website.[1]
During the website's development, Arbuz identified the creation of a Java applet for an audio recording system as the most challenging aspect. Neither Arbuz nor Vanhulle had access to a Flash server from Adobe, which provides simpler technologies for developing recording systems.[1]
The creators subsequently published WatZatSong in 2006 following the creation of a functioning recording system. The website did not start gaining significant attention until the 2010s, when music enthusiasts congregated to the platform to identify and listen to elusive songs shared by users. One of the most popular examples is The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet, which was one of the main contributors to the site's popularity during the 2010s. The majority of website visits are still made by music enthusiasts, and as a result, WatZatSong averages 800,000 visits monthly.[2] Another contributor to the sites popularity is that the website has become a notable hotspot for lost media, particularly lostwaves, songs with no coherent information. A notable example is "Ulterior Motives", a song uploaded to the website in 2021 by a user named carl92.[3]
In 2018, Inevitiv Pte. Ltd. published a mobile app for WatZatSong. The app follows the same premise as the main website but with significant layout changes. The app was last updated in 2021.[4]