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SongMatch is a music ID app that works by actually listening to real-world sounds in order to try and identify a song or piece of music. Using your device's built-in microphone, SongMatch analyses the sound being played and then compares its unique acoustic fingerprint using a special online database. If a match is found then the details are reported back to your phone.

The good news is that you don't need to already be subscribing to Rhapsody's music service to use this smart ID app -- it can still be used to find out the name of an unknown song.

However, if your streaming music choice for your Android device is Rhapsody, then you'll get extra features that will extend what you can do with your account. In this review, we take a look at SongMatch to see how it compares to other free apps in this category, and the potential benefits that it gives for being a Rhapsody music service subscriber.

Pros:

• Can be used for free without having to pay for a Rhapsody subscription.
• High accuracy rate in identifying songs.
• Extra features enhance your music experience if you are already a Rhapsody customer.

Cons:

• Not as feature-rich as some competing Music ID apps.
• No external links to additional media such as music videos.
• No support for displaying song lyrics.

Getting Started With Rhapsody's SongMatch

Before You Install: Rhapsody SongMatch is free to download from the Google Play Store, but before doing so it is best to check that you meet the minimum specs. These are:

• Android 2.1 or higher.
• Device you are using has a microphone.
• Internet connection.

Interface: SongMatch has an incredibly simple interface which doesn't require a large investment in time to learn.

The interface consists of a single red button (used to start identifying a song) in the center of the screen and a couple of menu tabs near the top. The first tab is called Match Songs and gives you a report on what song has been matched after the scanning phase has finished. The second menu tab switches to the My Songs screen so you can see a list of matches that have previously been identified. If you're a Rhapsody subscriber, then this last tab is particularly useful for directly streaming identified songs, playing a complete album (if the song is part of one), and discovering more music by the artist. There's also a settings screen where you can configure SongMatch to automatically store matched songs in your Rhapsody account -- either in a playlist or your music library.

Using SongMatch

Identifying a Song: Whether you want to identify a song that is playing on your TV, radio, or in a public place, you'll need to make sure that you're close enough so your microphone can pick up the sound. As soon as you hit SongMatch's red button, the app will start to analyze the sound. On average this takes around 7 seconds to complete before you get a result.

When we tested SongMatch we found that it accurately identified the correct song most of the time -- but not always the first time. Using this method of identifying songs with your built-in microphone isn't an exact science and so you may have to try several times to get a correct identification. We also found that songs tended to be more accurately identified than pieces of music, soundtracks, etc. Nonetheless, the app impressed us with its speed and success rate.

Extra Features if You're a Rhapsody Subscriber: As mentioned before, SongMatch is free to use even if you're not already a Rhapsody customer. However, if you are then this app can extend the usefulness of your phone as a great music discovery tool. One of the main advantages of installing SongMatch is that you can add identified songs directly to your online account without having to manually search for them in Rhapsody's music library. By default the app creates a playlist called My Matches in your online Rhapsody account where you can conveniently store all of your song discoveries. However, you can also configure the app to add these newly discovered songs to your custom library too.

If you've got the main Rhapsody app installed (alongside SongMatch) you also have the ability to stream songs -- or even complete albums. And lastly, you can delve deeper into Rhapsody's large online music library to see what other songs are available by the artist in question.

Conclusion

Rhapody's SongMatch tool falls into the Music ID app category and is similar to other apps that you may have already used such as Shazam, SoundHound, etc. It's free to download and use even if you don't pay a monthly subscription to access one of Rhapsody's music service options. The app performs well in identifying songs and generally has a high success rate. However, you may find SongMatch a little light on features compared to some other music ID apps. For instance, there's no facility to link to external sources -- like being able to watch music videos on YouTube. There's also no support for displaying lyrics for songs. That said, if you don't need all these features and just want a light-weight (and free) music ID app with no strings attached, then SongMatch is certainly worth a try.

If you're already a Rhapsody customer, then installing SongMatch on your Android phone is a no brainer. You'll get extra features to use that will enhance how you use and connect to your Rhapsody account. One of the best features we like is that once you have identified a song you can automatically add it to your online Rhapsody account -- either in a playlist (default is called My Matches) or your main Rhapsody library. Streaming songs and albums is also a handy feature and we especially like the fact that you can use SongMatch as a music discovery tool by delving deeper into Rhapody's library to see what other songs are available by a particular artist.

Overall, SongMatch is a great free app to have on your Android device for times when you need to quickly identify unknown songs wherever you may be.

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