SoundCloud enables users to upload, promote, and share audio, collaborate with others, comment on tracks, and share across social platforms.
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Launched in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud has grown to become one of the largest music streaming platforms on the web, with over 250 million tracks hosted as of 2022.
At its core, SoundCloud allows anyone to upload and share original audio content like music, podcasts, interviews, field recordings, DJ mixes, and more. Users can enhance their content with artwork, timestamps, comments, and suggested tracks, as well as utilize SoundCloud's proprietary audio embedding tool to share tracks across the web. The platform facilitates social interactions and community building by enabling users to follow other users, comment on tracks, repost content, and collaborate.
For creators, SoundCloud offers useful tools for distribution and analytics. Users can privately share tracks to get feedback before publicly releasing music. The site provides detailed statistics like play counts, downloads, followers, and locations, allowing artists understand their listeners. Accounts can be upgraded for more analytics, uploading time, and visibility. SoundCloud caters to rising and underground musicians by allowing them to build followings organically without the barriers to entry of traditional music platforms.
On the listening side, SoundCloud features a strong recommendation engine for music discovery similar to Spotify and YouTube based on likes, listens, and interactions. However, its focus on unsigned and rising artists provides more opportunities for finding fresh, experimental sounds outside the mainstream. Overall, SoundCloud occupies a unique space in music streaming, facilitating an audio community that prizes creativity, collaboration, and community over more commercially-driven services.
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