SoundCloud introduced a new program designed to highlight up-and-coming artists who launch their careers on the audio platform. First On SoundCloud will promote performers with a blend of new music, video, and photo. The inaugural ten artists for the program have been chosen, but anyone can possibly be picked in the future. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has hired Antonious Porch as its new general counsel. In this role, Porch will lead the legal affairs and public policy strategy for the audio company. He joins SoundCloud from Shazam, where he held the same post, and he also worked at Viacom for more than a decade. Continue Reading
Twitter has written off the investment it made into SoundCloud. The social media company put about $70 million into the audio platform in 2016 through its Twitter Ventures unit. Twitter explained in its 2017 annual report that the money invested is “not expected to be recoverable within a reasonable period of time.” Continue Reading
Recode’s Code Media Conference has had a few notable appearances from the audio and music space. New SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor recently took his turn in the hot seat, marking his first public interview since taking the helm at the audio company. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has shifted its statistics to be updated in real time. The audio platform is making data around plays, likes, reposts, comments, and downloads available to artists in real time. The new data is available in the Today custom view within the stats page on the web version of the service or in the SoundCloud Pulse app. Continue Reading
SoundCloud drew some heat recently when some users noticed changes in their audio quality. Select people noticed a shift from 128 kbps MP3 to 64 kbps Opus when using the SoundCloud streaming platform. The company has since clarified that these experiences are part of frequent tests it makes of audio, but are not part of any overall change to its technology or listening experience. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Mark Mulligan looks ahead to 2018. SoundCloud CEO is still serious about the company’s roots. The experts weigh in on podcast discoverability. Continue Reading
In what could be described as the Kerry Trainor era of SoundCloud, starting when the Vimeo ex-CEO took over the Berlin-based streaming platform, a quickened pace of product development seems to be in progress. It’s good news for the creator/uploader community which pays a lot of SoundCloud’s bills via subscriptions for cloud storage of tracks. Continue Reading
SoundCloud added a critical new statistic to its analytics suite. Creators can now see information about how their work is being shared and heard on user playlists. It includes who is sharing their tracks in playlists and how many plays that collection has contributed for the track. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has reached an agreement with two investors to close a new round of financing. The Raine Group and Temasek have agreed to supply the service with “the largest financing round in the history of SoundCloud.” Continue Reading
SoundCloud’s current financial struggles may be reaching their final act. Axios business editor Dan Primack has shared information from a missive reportedly sent to SoundCloud shareholders that said Friday is the do-or-die date for the company to accept or reject its present reorganization proposal. Primack claims that CEO Alexander Ljung said that if the proposal is rejected, SoundCloud may not be able ”to continue as a going concern.” Continue Reading
Bloomberg has reported that SoundCloud may be nearing deal with private equity firms. If the news is accurate, this development could mark a turning point in the audio company’s financial health after a year of job cuts and high-profile exits. Continue Reading