SoundCloud

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SoundCloud looking to raise $150 million at $1.2 billion valuation

Posted on by Anna Washenko

SoundCloud is in discussions to raise new funding to the tune of $150 million at a valuation of more than $1.2 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to two sources familiar with the negotiaions, the music platform is looking to raise money as it works to secure licensing deals with major labels. If SoundCloud successfully secures its high valuation and large funding, then it may be in a better position to play ball with Universal Music Group or Sony Music Entertainment. Continue Reading →

T-Mobile adds 14 more services to Music Freedom

Posted on by Anna Washenko

T-Mobile announced the addition of several services to its Music Freedom plan, which lets listeners stream songs without counting the activity against their data plans. Google Play Music was the most-requested addition according to T-Mobile’s crowdsourcing efforts earlier this summer, and it is now included under the plan. Xbox Music and SoundCloud are the other better known names added to the list. Continue Reading →

SoundCloud inks first major label deal with Warner Music Group

Posted on by Anna Washenko

After a bobble in negotiations last month, SoundCloud and Warner Music Group have signed a licensing deal. “The deal includes innovative licensing terms that will provide WMG and its artists greater ability to manage the availability of content, while providing a path towards delivering additional revenue from user-generated mixes and mash-ups of WMG music,” SoundCloud said. Continue Reading →

Twitter’s new Audio Card launches with any SoundCloud embed and one iTunes track

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Twitter has introduced a musical new feature called the Audio Card that allows its members to embed a track in a tweet. The social network is first working with SoundCloud on the launch of the feature, and the streaming platform’s entire library will be made available for embeds. A select number of partner artists are rolling out the feature today, and the social network said that its @TwitterMusic handle would announce updates about the people and organizations using the Audio Card. Continue Reading →

SoundCloud stumbles in licensing talks with major labels

Posted on by Anna Washenko

The Financial Times reported that SoundCloud has hit stumbling blocks in its negotiations with three major music labels. Sources told the publication that Universal, Sony, and Warner have all rejected SoundCloud’s proposed terms and are looking for a better deal. In fact, Universal is allegedly not in conversation with the online music portal anymore. Continue Reading →

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SoundCloud brings website to par with mobile apps; creators disgruntled

Posted on by Brad Hill

SoundCloud announced an upgrade to its browser experience that brings a more visual music player onto the screen. The large-format player displays an expanded version of the thumbnail image associated with each track. We found some beautiful results, and some ineffective ones. Soundcloud creators, who stock the site with uploaded music, are complaining. Continue Reading →

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The SoundCloud Conundrum: The intersection of copyright holders and revenue sharing on user-generated content platforms.

Posted on by Michael Spinelli

by Mike Spinelli

SoundCloud’s kettle boiled over this summer when major labels (“the majors”) started to enforce their intellectual property rights upsetting the service’s large community of Producers and DJs. After seven years of maintaining the same service, SoundCloud took drastic steps to change its design, and more importantly, its functionality. Many of the functionality changes likely occurred from the growing concern over potentially copyright-infringing works that inhabit the platform. Although SoundCloud has remedied the situation temporarily to satisfy the smaller artists, it could run into further problems down the road. Continue Reading →