SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. It lets people upload, promote, and share audio online. It was started in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss.

SoundCloud grew to become one of the largest music streaming services in the world. It can be used in 190 countries and had over 76 million users each month as of November 2021. There are more than 200 million audio tracks on the service.

People can choose between free and paid memberships. SoundCloud works on mobile, desktop and Xbox devices. It started as a simple way to play music online but has become a bigger entertainment company.

History

SoundCloud was started in Stockholm on August 27, 2007, by Swedish sound designer Alexander Ljung and musician Eric Wahlforss. The website went live on October 17, 2008. At first, it was made for musicians to share and talk about their recordings, but it later became a place to share music.

SoundCloud grew quickly. In May 2010, it had one million users. By January 2012, it had ten million users, and by May 2012, fifteen million users. In 2014, it tried to work with Twitter but couldn’t because of music licensing issues. SoundCloud kept growing and, in February 2019, it had over 200 million tracks, more than four times Myspace.

In May 2019, SoundCloud bought a platform called Repost Network. In January 2020, it got $75 million from Sirius XM. In March 2021, SoundCloud started a new way for artists to earn money called “fan-powered royalties.” By January 2024, SoundCloud moved its main office in New York City.

Monetization, subscription services

In August 2014, SoundCloud started a program called On SoundCloud. This let special partners earn money by showing ads and working with sponsors. SoundCloud made deals with many partners, including Comedy Central and Funny or Die.

In February 2017, SoundCloud launched SoundCloud Go, a subscription service that cost $5 a month and let users listen without ads and offline. There was also SoundCloud Go+, which cost $10 a month and gave access to more songs and tracks.

Platforms and features

In December 2012, SoundCloud updated its app for mobile devices, adding new features like listening to music together and organizing personal collections. At that time, SoundCloud was reaching 180 million people each month, with 10 hours of new music being added every minute.

SoundCloud has two mobile apps. The main app helps people find and share music. In November 2015, SoundCloud launched another app called SoundCloud Pulse for creators to manage their music and see who is listening. In July 2020, SoundCloud added special tools called Insights to its main app, stopping the need for the Pulse app. These tools show users who listens to their music and where.

In April 2017, SoundCloud added support for Chromecast to its iOS app.

SoundCloud used to use certain music formats but announced plans to change to a new format in September 2025. This change aims to make the app work better on different devices and operating systems.

Subscription services

SoundCloud Go

On 29 March 2016, SoundCloud introduced SoundCloud Go, a subscription service for listening to music. This service lets users enjoy music without ads and download songs to listen offline. It includes music from big record labels along with songs uploaded by users. The service was priced at US$10 per month.

On 28 February 2017, SoundCloud changed the name of its main Go plan to SoundCloud Go+. It also added a second plan called SoundCloud Go at US$5 per month. SoundCloud Go does not include the licensed music library but still lets users enjoy music without ads and download songs for offline listening. SoundCloud Go+ includes extra features like mix tracks for some DJ apps and offers a full music catalogue with higher quality streaming.

Next Pro

SoundCloud also offers a special service called Next Pro for musicians. With Next Pro, musicians can upload as many audio files as they want, see detailed information about who is listening to their music, share their music on other music platforms, and use tools to grow their audience. This service costs US$99 per year and is available worldwide.

Label services

SoundCloud For Artists

In October 2022, SoundCloud introduced a new service called SoundCloud For Artists. This service helps musicians share their music and connect with fans. It replaced an older service called Repost Network, which SoundCloud bought in 2019.

In July 2022, SoundCloud worked with a label named BlondeWorld Label. This was the first time an independent label partnered with SoundCloud before the service changed its name.

Criticism

SoundCloud has faced some criticism as it grew. Many users felt the service changed too much and became less helpful for independent artists. In 2013, the website was redesigned to try to get more people to use it.

In 2014, it was reported that some copyright holders could ask SoundCloud to remove content without giving users a chance to defend themselves. In 2016, SoundCloud announced it would stop allowing groups, which upset many artists who used them to share their music.

In 2023, SoundCloud made a change on its website about Taiwan. The service has also been criticized for removing music that wasn’t illegally shared, and for letting a big music company control which accounts or uploads can stay on the platform. Some users felt this wasn’t fair.

Cultural impact

SoundCloud changed the music industry by giving artists a new way to share and promote their music online. Artists can release music without needing a record label or distributor. Users can both listen to and create music, building a community. Features like commenting, liking, and sharing songs make SoundCloud work like a social media site.

In 2018, the Grammys started recognizing artists and music from SoundCloud, showing how popular the platform had become. Chance the Rapper is a great example; he released his first mixtape, 10 Day, on SoundCloud and chose not to sign with a major label, believing it was better to share his music freely.

SoundCloud also helped create a new style of rap known as SoundCloud rap. Artists like Lil Pump, XXXTentacion, and Lil Uzi Vert became famous through the platform. This style has a unique, grittier sound and often focuses more on repetition than detailed lyrics. Many of these artists started with simple homemade recordings, showing how SoundCloud lets anyone share music easily and quickly.

Availability

In November 2013, people in mainland China could no longer use the computer version of SoundCloud. Then, in March 2014, the phone version and app were also blocked there.

In January 2014, the government of Turkey stopped people from using SoundCloud.

In October 2022, Russia’s communication watchdog blocked SoundCloud because the company would not take down certain podcasts.

See also: Censorship in Turkey § Blocking of Internet sites