When it comes to streaming music online, fans are living in a true golden age. Whether they've subscribed to Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play, or one of the dozen or so other platforms available, listeners have practically every song they could dream of right at their fingerprints. Now, as Re/Code reported, there's a new contender entering the subscription music game with lofty plans: SoundCloud.
A brave new world
Long-time fans will recognize SoundCloud as a bastion of free music. Since its inception in 2007, the service has built up its 175 million monthly users by offering loads of tracks from both up-and-comers and established favorites. And that success is why the company, based out of Berlin, has finally decided to offer a subscription service. As Wired pointed out, throughout the early part of 2016, the likes of Kanye West, whose one upload racked in 300,000 listens in under 24 hours, proved just how viable SoundCloud is amid its competitors.
SoundCloud Go, which is currently available, will cost users $12.99 a month for an ad-free experience. Though there isn't much separating Go from the legions of other streaming sites, it will offer access to over 125 million tracks at launch. For comparison, some sites only offer users 30 million or fewer tracks.
There will be other, more subtle differences as well. For one, labels and music publishers will have far more power, deciding what songs have to be purchased and what songs are totally free. And, as Billboard pointed out, SoundCloud is also making use of a system similar to that of YouTube's Content ID. This allows music publishers to identify songs as DJ mixes or remixes, which ensures profits are then divvied up accordingly. Perhaps most appealing, though, is the ability to listen to songs and albums offline, which is a feature not all streaming services can tout.
Speaking with The Verge, SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung said that it's the service's massive catalog that should engage fans.
"Before, you'd have to use two or three services to get all the tracks into different playlists," he said. "It feels very different when you can have one playlist with everything you want, whether it's back catalog Drake or a beef track he just recorded." The label is emphasizing real-time additions of music, making it so an artist's catalog continues to update frequently.
Users can sign up for SoundCloud. The first 30 days are free, at which point users are charged the $12.99 per month.
On shaky ground
While this new version of SoundCloud does sound promising for eager music fans, it's not without its imperfections. The Verge pointed out that while there is plenty of music available, the service still has issues with uploading songs and albums from bigger name artists.
The site added that while there are 125 million tunes available, an estimated 100 million or so are free uploads from users. There were also some issues with functionality and user interface, but that's to be expected during any trial run.
Another potential issue is that SoudCloud might have angered some of its users. In mid-2014, the platform signed a deal with Universal Music Group, as Complex explained. This allowed the global label to flag any content for copyright violations and subsequent removal.
This move upset a lot of the core DJs who relied on the site for exposure, and many left the site entirely in protest. While other users might not take issue, it does raise some questions. Perhaps all of that is part of why one music executive told Billboard that SoundCloud may have "low single digits" for converting free users to paid members.
Still, only time will tell if SoundCloud can swim amid its competition or get swallowed up amid the open sea of streaming music.