Technology is already available for you to find the artist of a tune that you heard over the radio while you were driving or having a meal at a restaurant. There is an app for that. Shazam Entertainment’s app for iPhone can identify nearly all songs played on the radio or any other system. More than 200 million users worldwide are using the technology.

Research is being carried out to extend the technology to other aspects, mainly to identify audio. Audio-matching technology has been tested during the Super Bowl by Toyota and PepsiCo. Their advertisements during the game included a small tag similar to a QR code and using your iPhone or iPad, viewers who scan any part of the commercial were able to connect to a web site. Shazam is partnering with NBC Sports to conduct additional tests during the upcoming London’s Summer Olympics. Viewers will be able to get additional information about athletes and events by scanning a picture of what they are watching using an iPhone or iPad.

The TV ad market is worth about $189 billion a year at the moment. Imagine the possibility of even tiny share of that market for a new technology.