In addition to its traditional music streaming services, SoundCloud is now trying out a new feature that highlights clips of songs from AI-powered vertical feeds. The idea is for new and aspiring musicians to get more attention from users and provide an easier way for people to find new content. While it’s still in early beta, the feature seems like a good way for SoundCloud to stay competitive with other music streaming services and discovery apps.
SoundCloud is testing a vertical feed discovery feature on its iOS and Android apps with a select number of users. Through this feature, users will see a new “Discover” page — along with a “Following” page — under the Feed tab. This page will list new tracking from artists that you are following and reposts from friends.
According to SoundCloud, their Discover page will show songs based on your listening history and musical taste. The app will also show a line explaining the reason why a particular song is showing up in your recommendations. These captions will look like “Because you follow A” or “Because you liked B.” This feature could be incredibly useful for discovering new music that you may not have otherwise heard, and it could make it easier for people to find music that they are interested in.
The music streaming service SoundCloud is one of the most popular platforms for sharing and listening to music. The site allows users to upload their own MP3
SoundCloud is rolling out 30-second previews across both Discover and Following pages in an effort to improve discovery for artists. As Musiio, a startup SoundCloud acquired last year, continues to develop its AI tech, artists can select their own clip to highlight or rely on the technology.
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Like many other music streaming services, SoundCloud recently revamped its user interface to make it easier for users to find and share music. The new Like button replaces the plus button, making it easier for listeners to show their support for a song without having to click on a separate commenting button. Personally, I think this change is welcome as it makes the experience more streamlined and less cluttered. Additionally, SoundCloud is introducing a playlist feature that allows users to easily create collections of their favorite songs. This makes finding songs easy and helps make recommendations more relevant
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TikTok and short-format videos have become very popular for uncovering new artists, but music discovery apps are now starting to take inspiration from the vertical feed method. Spotify has been testing it for a few years now, but it hasn’t fully rolled it out yet. Resso, which operates in India, Brazil and Indonesia, relies on a vertical feed- users listen to full songs rather than short clips- while other music discovery apps like Smores and HotDrop have also relied on a mixture of AI and short clips to help users find new tracks.
SoundCloud wants to be the go-to platform for discovery for music lovers. The company claims that it has more than 320 million tracks from over 40 million creators, and 130 million engaged fans on its platform monthly. SoundCloud plans to make its Discover tab the definitive destination for music discovery, integrating all of the different ingredients that listeners need in one place: lyrics, chords, videos, playlists and artists. This will make it easier than ever for people to find what they’re looking for and get hooked on new music!
The layoffs are likely a sign that the company is shifting away from its traditional business model, where established artists would get paid more on a pro-rata basis because of a higher number of total streams. Instead, fan-powered royalties will allow smaller artists to earn money from user subscriptions or ad revenues only based on artists they listen to.
