What is SoundCloud? SoundCloud Review
Visit soundclound on the web at http://soundcloud.com/
SoundCloud — Online Music Platform for Artists and Fans
SoundCloud is an online platform that combines social networking and music streaming in one. It can be likened to Flickr and Vimeo in a sense that music tracks, whether from established or independent artists, are shared online for users and fans to listen to and then give feedback or comments.
SoundCloud Profile GUI
If you love music you will love SoundCloud!
Verse: A little bit of history…
It was established in August 2007 in Berlin, Germany but actually originated in Stockholm, Sweden. When sound designer Alex Jung and artist Eric Wahlforss, both Swedish personalities, launched the site, its primary purpose was to allow musicians to share recordings to each other.
It later developed as a place for music distribution as well. By May 2010, it had amassed 1 million subscribers and in December 2012 it added another 9 million registered users.
Pre-Chorus: A list of features…
- Music uploads comes with a distinct URL. This means every track has its own place on the web and is not just hosted on a single page such as with the MySpace site. This makes it easier for musicians to share their recordings to targeted audiences, using Twitter or Facebook.
SoundCloud Songs Use A Direct URL
A distinct URL for each song is simply genius
- Music distribution uses widgets and apps. The widgets can be added to a registered users’ website, if they have any, where SoundCloud then automatically sends tweets after every track is uploaded. An API is also available that enables smartphones, other applications and even music finders to upload or download music and sound files.
SoundCloud Apps For Social Sharing
Use SoundCloud apps for sharing to web or social media
- Making comments is more specific. That is, users can leave a comment or feedback on specific areas of a track as SoundCloud displays it graphically in waveforms. The same parts will also be played when comments are being shown.
SoundCloud Allows Comments Along The Song Timeline
Cleverly add your comment at a specific place in the song
- More features to enjoy for a fee. Paid users can enjoy more hosting space to distribute tracks to a huge number of people, create sets of recordings and thoroughly monitor the statistics of the music shared.
- Continuous playback of tracks. The latest feature introduced in SoundCloud is the continuous playback of a particular music even when users are navigating through other areas of the site. This gives people more chance to enjoy the music they’re listening to, without the need to stay idle.
Using SoundCloud Playlists
Create playlists and use them for continuous playback
Chorus: A look into the community…
From the features alone, it’s no wonder SoundCloud has a total of 10 million users and still counting. Add to this the fact that musicians and fans can easily interact with each other, and this particular platform is sure to flourish.
Users can actually create and join groups where a single space is shared among members for collecting and distributing content. With SoundCloud, users can also repost, create a playlist, gather followers and download music. It is a social network and music database rolled into one.
SoundCloud Strong And Steady Climb
Check out the strong and steady growth of SoundCloud
Bridge: A sense of what’s to come…
According to a report in TechCrunch, “SoundCloud’s ultimate goal is to become the audio platform of the web, or the YouTube of audio”. Based on its ability to transform an ordinary “music file into a URL and embeddable music player”, it won’t be long before the company reaches its objectives.
The only other thing SoundCloud has yet to achieve is more ads that can help generate more money. As of now, the website isn’t flooded by them.
If they can sign with other major music labels though, it’s believed that the company will have more options to monetize, increase their user base and have better content that can lure advertisers.
Despite the many issues the company is facing, the fact that an online platform for musicians and fans to collaborate is available has made a huge difference in the world of entertainment and social network.
SoundCloud not only helps musicians to reach out to a wider audience, but also provides people access to some of the world’s greatest sounds that may have remained unheard of if not for SoundCloud.
You are invited to visit us at SoundCloud by going to https://soundcloud.com/impactsocialmedia
Finally, if you have questions or comments about SoundCloud or would like to share with us your profile or music content there feel free to add your comment in the comments section down below.
Video: What is SoundCloud?