The streaming music world has been abuzz since it was rumored that Spotify was participating in negotiations to acquire SoundCloud but it all came crashing down yesterday when sources revealed to TechCrunch that Spotify was backing out of any deal out of concern about a potential upcoming IPO. The source was quoted as saying "[Spotify] doesn’t need an additional licensing … [Read more...]
SoundCloud’s Latest Updates Involve Track Artwork And New Discovery Method
SoundCloud, no matter the frustration frequently voiced by users and creators alike, continues trying new things to keep its collective head above water, and the latest changes they've implemented are actually (somewhat) a step in a positive direction. Instead of seemingly random "Related Tracks" that auto-play after listening to a song, the site has designated a brand new … [Read more...]
The Grammys Allow Streaming-Only Songs To Be Nominated
Today marked an important change in The Grammy nomination process that allows songs only available via streaming to be considered for the award. This is big news for upcoming artists and could instigate an interesting (and hopefully more diverse) shift in the entire landscape of the accolades. Here's a statement from Bill Freimuth, the Academy’s Senior Vice President of Awards, … [Read more...]
Twitter Just Made A Huge Investment In SoundCloud
SoundCloud has just received $70 million out of a $100 million investment from Twitter. The news comes after the music streaming startup recently attempted to capture a larger share of the music subscription market through their new program SoundCloud Go. In an interview done by Recode Twitter, CEO Jack Dorsey stated that the investment was to "to help support some of our … [Read more...]
Soundcloud Just Deleted Ookay’s Entire Account
UPDATE: Ookay's account has been returned! In the past year Soundcloud has had their fair share of issues surrounding copyright infringement, thanks to big-name labels pressuring the online company to enforce stricter policies and guidelines. As a result, countless respected artists in the scene have had their accounts permanently deleted via Soundcloud's "three strike" … [Read more...]
Spotify to Host DJ Mixes & Unofficial Remixes Following Deal w/ Dubset
A couple months back, a story reporting a deal/partnership between Apple Music and Dubset began to surface. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Dubset is a digital content distributor that allows for the hosting of unlicensed mixes, remixes, etc. in a legal manner. Following in the footsteps of Apple Music, Spotify has also now struck a deal with Dubset. “Our number one job … [Read more...]
Deadmau5’s Soundcloud Hacked by “Security Group”
Ironically enough, the king of trolls himself Deadmau5 had his soundcloud hacked today by a self-proclaimed "security group" entitled OurMine. Earlier this afternoon the mysterious group reportedly uploaded a remix of Ariana Grande's "One Last Time" featuring altered lyrics relating to the hacking. Leaving the mau5head a message stating: "Hey Joel, it’s OurMine Team, we are … [Read more...]
Soundcloud Launches Monthly Subscription Service
Well, it was only inevitable. After months of rumors, Soundcloud has finally launched "Soundcloud Go," a $9.99 a month ($12.99 for iOS devices) service promising advertisement-free and offline streaming. On top of this, the platform offers users access to the catalogues of the three major labels as well as 20,000 independent labels. CEO Alexander Ljung stated in a press … [Read more...]
