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SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

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Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#161

Post by tobz »

6stringmerc wrote: post #153
cmyr wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A significant role of the SoundCloud that I'm most familiar with is as a distribution platform for mixes and performances by musicians for whom the _sale_ of their music is not a significant revenue source; these performers (and I'm talking about dance music, in all its varieties) almost exclusively make their living performing live, and release mixes mostly as a sort of marketing. This obviously isn't the _only_ typ…

I'll just go to my crib-sheet response: SoundCloud isn't for "mixes" as in DJ sets. That's what MixCloud is for. That's why DJ mixes get kicked off SoundCloud routinely, and I won't fault them for it. MixCloud is for mixes, SoundCloud is for creators, in my opinion.

Mixes get kicked off of SoundCloud because they have a higher chance of one of the X songs/samples in them being picked up in the copyright detector net. The fact that it doesn't happen, or that it happens less, on MixCloud only goes to show that MixCloud isn't playing ball with copyright holders, or hasn't been approached to do so. They don't have some magical blanket license to let anyone, anywhere, for free, upload a mix with copyrighted material.

Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#164

Post by forrestthewoods »

cmyr wrote: post #103

Soundcloud is absolutely ubiquitous in the electronic music community. I was talking about this with a friend recently who is a programmer and a (relatively) well known composer, and she made the point that soundcloud actually represents a very important cultural document; there is tons of music that has been created in the past 5+ years that exists exclusively there, and it would be a tremendous cultural loss if it…

oops

Edit: Downvote all you want! Relying on a ubiqutous but unsustainable platform qualifies as oops.

Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#165

Post by zekevermillion »

x1024 wrote: post #128
zekevermillion wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, but that wasn't the gist of the article. The article was only about one company as if the author is unaware of how VC works, for better or worse.

If we listen to you, it would seem that SC is both blameless, and - in fact - not in trouble at all. And that's all fine and well. It sounds plausible. But it seems like every company is "blameless, and things are actually going peachy... but we still need more funding". And at that point the whole thing starts to become unraveled.

Really, is that what I said? You are committing a logical fallacy concluding that "this article doesn't prove SC is in trouble" implies "SC is not in trouble". Also you are making a big assumption that I approve of the venture funding model as applied here.

Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#168

Post by waterlesscloud »

6stringmerc wrote: post #124
cmyr wrote: post #103

Soundcloud is absolutely ubiquitous in the electronic music community. I was talking about this with a friend recently who is a programmer and a (relatively) well known composer, and she made the point that soundcloud actually represents a very important cultural document; there is tons of music that has been created in the past 5+ years that exists exclusively there, and it would be a tremendous cultural loss if it…

As a counter-point though, the role of SoundCloud in a diversified music commerce portfolio is not ideal as a catch-all archive. A professional elsewhere mentioned it is a useful tool for sharing and A/B/C listening tests with tracks set to private, but that's not the end use-case scenario. In principle, SoundCloud should not be the sole - or even main - distribution channel for a music act. To put it another way, So…

There's what "should" be, and then there's what is.

The simple truth of reality is that a lot of music is only available through soundcloud.

Smart? No. But it's how things really are.

Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#169

Post by user_0001 »

tobz wrote: post #161
6stringmerc wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll just go to my crib-sheet response: SoundCloud isn't for "mixes" as in DJ sets. That's what MixCloud is for. That's why DJ mixes get kicked off SoundCloud routinely, and I won't fault them for it. MixCloud is for mixes, SoundCloud is for creators, in my opinion.

Mixes get kicked off of SoundCloud because they have a higher chance of one of the X songs/samples in them being picked up in the copyright detector net. The fact that it doesn't happen, or that it happens less, on MixCloud only goes to show that MixCloud isn't playing ball with copyright holders, or hasn't been approached to do so. They don't have some magical blanket license to let anyone, anywhere, for free, uploa…

err, yes they do.

Re: SoundCloud could be forced to close after $44m losses

#170

Post by rpgmaker »

strgrd wrote: post #14

I've been a daily soundcloud user for almost 6 years. At some point they gave up on trying to change or improve the user experience. Soundcloud has done nothing to facilitate the growth of users who focus on reposting/finding/sharing/curating content, vs. content creators who upload their own music. There is no way to gain a following or reputation as someone who reposts content on soundcloud -- and even if you have…

By tidying some licensing loose ends with that Big Label agreement they signed a couple of weeks ago it seems to me they're readying themselves to be acquired pretty soon.
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