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Tag: SoundCloud

  • Zayn Malik Releases Solo Ballad On Heels of One Direction Exit

    Zayn Malik Releases Solo Ballad On Heels of One Direction Exit

    Zayn Malik announced less than a week ago that he was leaving One Direction behind. Now the former boy band member has released his first solo song.

    ‘I Won’t Mind’ came out on Monday–first on Soundcloud, then later on YouTube. It is a soft ballad featuring Zayn Malik’s vocals against a background of acoustic guitar.

    A rep for Zayn Malik confirmed that yes, it is the former One Direction member, singing the song. The song is produced by Naughty Boy Music, and the company–known for working with music greats like Sam Smith–was accused of starting trouble with Zayn’s former One Direction mate Louis Tomlinson.

    Naughty Boy raised Louis Tomlinson’s ire by retweeting a video that included the words, “Naughty Boy Saved My Life Zaughty.” It seems Louis took it as a reference to Zayn Malik having left One Direction.

    Naughty Boy said the message wasn’t about Malik. That doesn’t necessarily ring true, however.

    Billboard jumped on the bandwagon and helped promote Zayn Malik’s new song.

    What’s your take on Zayn Malik’s new song. ‘I Won’t Mind?’ Do you think he was already working on his solo music before he left One Direction?

  • Twitter Launches Audio Cards With SoundCloud As A Partner

    Twitter announced a new audio card that lets users listen to audio directly from their timelines. The first partner on board is SoundCloud.

    The feature works on iOS and Android devices as well as the desktop. Here’s an example from NASA:

    The feature doesn’t work on embeds, as you can see, but if you click over to the tweet on Twitter, you’ll see it in action.

    In the apps, you can dock the audio card, and keep listening while you browse Twitter.

    In addition to NASA, others including The White House, Kevin Smith, NPR, Planet Money, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Pitchfork are already taking advantage of the feature. Twitter has a list of accounts here.

    “We’re just beginning to test the Audio Card and plan to make it available to more partners and creators in the future so that many more musical artists and creators will be able to share exclusive, in-the-moment audio to millions of listeners on Twitter,” says Twitter.

    The @TwitterMusic account will provide updates on accounts using the cards as time goes on.

    Image via Twitter

  • Miley Cyrus Unleashes Her Inner Rockstar With Newly Released Led Zeppelin Cover

    With a straight-to-SoundCloud release on Friday, September 12, Miley Cyrus has traversed genres and is cultivating her inner rockstar. The 21-year-old pop singer covered Led Zeppelin’s song “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” and posted her version online, changing the title to “Baby, I’m Gonna Leave You” in her version.

    There reportedly wasn’t much fanfare for the cover Cyrus did, and she only alerted fans by posting on Twitter: “Check dis s—t out.”

    Her version of the song that appeared on Led Zeppelin’s self-titled album in 1969 apparently stays true to the iconic band’s rendition, but is embellished with “extra heavy guitar riffs and soaring vocals,” according to Billboard. The gritty recording reportedly sounds as if it had been made in Cyrus’ bedroom. The song was originally a folk song by Anne Bredon that was also performed by folk music legend Joan Baez.

    Cyrus has been spending her downtime between concerts and one-off performances by doing covers, including songs such as “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and some by Lana Del Rey and The Cure. She also announced on Instagram that she would soon be making a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man”.

    The “Wrecking Ball” singer has also collaborated with The Flaming Lips on a cover of The Beatles’ “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” and the new Led Zeppelin cover indicates her penchant for covering 1960s songs. The ‘60s influence may show up in her upcoming album. In August, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Cyrus said that her new record would be “a little psychedelic, but still in that pop world,” according to People.

    However, Cyrus also mentioned that the new record “might take [her] five years.” In the meantime, her covers of songs by other artists will tide her fans over while waiting for her album to drop.

  • Miley Cyrus Shares Roy Orbison Cover on SoundCloud

    Hot off a pep talk from her famous father, Miley Cyrus is back in the spotlight for her singing. The 21-year-old pop star this week shared two covers of famous songs through her SoundCloud account.

    One of the covers is a lo-fi version of “Baby, I’m Gonna Leave You.” The song was first performed by Joan Baez during the early sixties and then popularized by Led Zeppelin on their debut album.

    The second cover is the Roy Orbison hit “It’s Over.”

    While these covers may seem a bit random to even Cyrus fans, the singer had a good reason for sharing them. According to a recent Twitter post, Cyrus intends to perform both of the covers as part of her current worldwide concert tour.

    Cyrus is nearing the end of her Bangerz Tour, which began in February. The tour is named after her most recent album and has made stops in countries throughout North America, Europe, and South America.

    Cyrus made a shocking and career-shifting appearance last year at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Her twerking performance with Robin Thicke signaled a wild departure from the pop star’s formerly wholesome persona.

    Since that time Cyrus has, among other things, broken off her engagement to actor Liam Hemsworth, posed naked for Rolling Stone, and gotten a tattoo on the inside of her bottom lip.

    Her behavior has invited open letters from several famous pop stars. Despite the negative attention, Cyrus has continued to court tabloid headlines with her provocative behavior.

    The tour and new persona could be taking a toll on the singer, though. Text chat images posted on Cyrus’ Instagram account this week show that she recently reached out to her father Billy Ray Cyrus for advice when she was feeling “down.”

  • SoundCloud Is Slowly Rolling Out Ads

    If you expect your favorite ad-free services to remain ad-free, you’re probably living in a constant state of disappointment. Here, let’s add to it.

    SoundCloud, currently free and ad-free, is about to introduce ads. It’s part of a new content creators program called On SoundCloud, a tiered initiative to help the people who upload content on the service.

    On SoundCloud is launching with three tiers – Partner, Pro, and Premier. The first is free, and offers basic stats and support. The second is paid, and offers “extensive” stats, support, and double the content limit. The latter is where we move into ad territory.

    Currently, On SoundCloud Premier is invite only. SoundCloud is starting slow with a small set of creators, expanding “as fast as they can.”

    It is on content from these Premier level members that you’ll find SoundCloud’s new ads.

    “The introduction of advertising is an important step for creators. Every time you see or hear an ad, an artist gets paid. If you’re in the US, you’ll start to experience occasional ads from our brand partners. We’re bringing ads on gradually. In addition to supporting creators, ads will keep the service free and open for people to listen to SoundCloud. Audio ads will only be served on the content of Premier Partners with their explicit consent. If you have a Free, Pro or Pro Unlimited account, you will not have any audio ads placed on your tracks,” says the company.

    Artists in the Premier tier will only get paid when plays come from inside the US – for now.

    A paid content structure like this allows SoundCloud to keep the service free, and also encourages creators to produce more content by incentivizing their hard work with hard cash. SoundCloud has also quietly mentioned that an ad-free subscription service is on the horizon.

    “We’re rolling out ad products very gradually with attention to your listening experience,” says SoundCloud. Ads will appear on desktop, app, and embedded players. You can also expect to see “promoted tracks” appear when searching.

    Image via SoundCloud

  • Twitter Reportedly Backs Out of SoundCloud Talks

    Just a day after reports emerged that Twitter was mulling a purchase of music streaming and sharing site SoundCloud, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Twitter has backed out of those talks.

    They quote a source familiar with the matter who claims Twitter felt, quite simply, that the numbers didn’t add up. From the WSJ:

    The short-messaging service chose to let the deadline for exclusivity on talks pass without coming to an agreement because “the numbers didn’t add up,” this person said, without specifying. It is unclear which party initiated the talks.

    The original news of the discussions were first reported by Recode. If the deal would have happened, it would have most certainly been Twitter’s largest to date, as SoundCloud has recently been valued as high as $700 million. The deal would have brought SoundCloud’s already-established user base of 250 million to Twitter, who has been looking for ways to expand its purview.

    The possible SoundCloud purchase seemed like Twitter’s comeback attempt as integrating music discovery into their service after Twitter’s own failed app, Twitter Music. Launched a year ago, Twitter finally axed Twitter Music in March.

    Image via SoundCloud, Twitter

  • Twitter Reportedly Mulling SoundCloud Purchase

    After failing to create enough interest in their own music app to keep it alive, Twitter is reportedly considering a deal to acquire popular music sharing service SoundCloud.

    According to sources familiar with both companies who spoke with ReCode, Twitter is considering the deal, which would likely be the company’s largest to date. Recently, SoundCloud was valued at around $700 million.

    You may or may not recall (due to its unpopularity), Twitter’s failed attempt to get into the music discovery game. About a year ago, Twitter launched Twitter Music, a standalone trending music app that allowed users to find new music based on their own Twitter activity and the popular activity of others. People use Twitter to talk about music all the time, so the company figured that they could tap into that interest with their own app.

    But it wasn’t meant to be. Twitter Music had some buzz at launch, but quickly faded from the app charts and users’ thoughts. After debating shuttering the app for a while, Twitter finally axed it back in March.

    SoundCloud already has a strong and dedicated user base, which Twitter was never able to build for their own app. Twitter has been looking for ways to grow the service, especially after investors expressed concern over their growth strategies following the company’s IPO. For SoundCloud, Twitter gives them access to a sizable network–one that is already successful with native ads.

    SoundCloud currently boasts around 250 million users. According to the company, over ten hours of music and other audio is posted to the site every single minute.

    Image via SoundCloud, Twitter

  • James Blunt New Album, “Moon Landing” Streaming

    It seems like James Blunt came out with his debut hit, “You’re Beautiful” and then then completely disappeared from the charts and music world entirely. While he’s made other albums, it seems the star hasn’t resonated with his fans quite like how he did with his original album.

    But good news because Blunt is back. His newest album doesn’t come out for another three weeks, but if you’re just dying to listen, you’re certainly in luck. Our friends over at Billboard are streaming his fourth studio album, “Moon Landing” in its entirety today.

    The album was produced by Tom Rothrock who has worked with artists from Beck to the Foo Fighters. Rothrock worked with Blunt on his multi-platinum selling 2004 debut album, “Back to Bedlam.”

    In an interview he did with Billboard, Blunt said, “I have written it very much without an audience in mind.”

    He went on to say, “In many ways this is, perhaps, the album that I would have recorded if my fast album ‘Back to Bedlam’ hadn’t sold in the way that it did.”

    But regardless if fans like the new tunes or not, Blunt doesn’t seem to mind.

    “It’s not about selling, he says. “It’s not about units. I do what I do because it means something to me,” said Blunt.

    “Moon Landing” comes out on Nov. 5. Listen to the album here.

    Photo Credit: YouTube

  • Arrested Development’s Mark Cherry ‘Get Away’ Song Gets Ringtone Treatment On SoundCloud

    Arrested Development’s Mark Cherry ‘Get Away’ Song Gets Ringtone Treatment On SoundCloud

    Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz did a reddit AMA on Monday in which he talked about many topics related to the show, including the next chapter and never-nudes.

    One question, which got 1,096 points, was: “I want to download/buy the song “Getaway” by Mark Cherry to use it as a ringtone, how can I have it?”

    “We are really working on it, actually!” responded Hurwitz. “It’s tricky because 20th doesn’t really have a record label, which a lot of the other studios do, so they don’t have a mechanism in place, but all of David’s music is so great and I really want to get it out there.”

    David would be David Schwartz, who does the music for the show (here’s a great new interview with him from A.V. Club).

    On SoundCloud, Jonathan Irons has filled the void, putting out a ringtone version of the song:

    And in case you’re not familiar with the jam:

  • Jay-Z Song ‘Open Letter’ Hits SoundCloud

    Jay-Z Song ‘Open Letter’ Hits SoundCloud

    Jay-Z has been in the headlines a lot this week for more than one reason. Reports came out that he was looking to divest his ownership share of the Brooklyn Nets. His trip (with Beyonce) to Cuba has also been talked about a lot in on political sites.

    The couple took a trip to the country to celebrate their anniversary. Senator Marco Rubio said the cuban government was using the trip for “propaganda purposes”. He put out a statement saying the Obama Administration should “clarify its enforcement policy on Americans that travel to cuba:

    “U.S. law clearly bans tourism to Cuba by American citizens because it provides money to a cruel, repressive and murderous regime. Since their inception, the Obama Administration’s ‘people to people’ cultural exchange programs have been abused by tourists who have no interest in the Cuban people’s freedom and either don’t realize or don’t care that they’re essentially funding the regime’s systematic trampling of people’s human rights.

    “According to recent news reports, Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Cuba trip, which the regime seized on for propaganda purposes, was fully licensed by the Treasury Department. If true, the Obama Administration should explain exactly how trips like these comply with U.S. law and regulations governing travel to Cuba and it should disclose how many more of these trips they have licensed.”

    Well, Jay-Z has responded to critics with a song called “Open Letter,” which is available on SoundCloud:

    Jay-Z mentions Obama in the song, but the White House is distancing itself from the whole thing, saying the President had nothing to do with the trip.

  • SoundCloud Unveils the Dropometer to Ruin Every Dubstep Song You Know

    In one of my favorite internet-related April Fools jokes of the day, SoundCloud has just introduced the Dropometer (trademarked, of course).

    The Dropometer is simple, but oh so very useful. All it does is tell you the exact point in a dubstep song at which you can expect the drop.

    “The drop in a track can be unpredictable and surprising. Some of you have even told us that you find it unsettling, not knowing when to expect that sense of overwhelming euphoria. Inspired by your feedback, we’ve invented the Dropometer. Using a unique algorithm (patent pending), the Dropometer is designed to help you prepare yourself for the big moment, whether that means getting in the mental space where you can really break it down, or fixing yourself a fortifying snack,” says SoundCloud.

    (image)

    While the Dropometer was created with dubstep in mind, you can find it on plenty of other songs from other styles of music. But you shouldn’t expect the “drop” in that Beatles song to blow your mind.

    Some people over on the SoundCloud blog are kind of missing the point.

    “I really don’t see the point of this…where’s the fun in ruining the surprise of a drop? writes one angry commenter.

    “This is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Ever. Just to be clear, you guys think we’re complete retards right? That’s the only way something like this can be even thought of,” says another.

    It looks like some SoundCloud users forgot to check the date.

    [Photo via Sharif Sharifi, Flickr]

  • New Audio Series Shows What It’s Like ‘Being Biden’

    The White House is launching a new audio series, powered by SoundCloud, that takes you into the daily life of the man behind the most powerful man in the world, Vice President Joe Biden.

    It’s called “Being Biden.”

    “The series will combine a photo that offers a glimpse into the Vice Presidency with an audio recording of the Vice President narrating the moment and its significance. He will tell the story behind the story – of where he was when the photo was snapped, why it matters to him, and how the experience fits into the broader narrative of this Administration. From meetings at the White House to travels around the country, the Vice President will share his perspective in candid, behind-the-scenes snapshots,” says the White House blog’s Macon Phillips.

    The series will be available on whitehouse.gov/beingbiden, and you’ll know when a new episode is available by following the VP’s Twitter account. You can even sign up for email alerts if you want.

  • Twitter to Launch Standalone Music Discovery App Born Out of Recent Acquisition [REPORT]

    Twitter to Launch Standalone Music Discovery App Born Out of Recent Acquisition [REPORT]

    Twitter is working on a standalone music app that could be released on iOS as early as the end of March, according to a report from CNET.

    The app will reportedly be called “Twitter Music” and will be built upon technology from music discovery service We Are Hunted, which was purchased by Twitter within the past six months.

    The barebones function of Twitter Music will be discovery. Apparently, the app will recommend music based on signals such as who the user follows on Twitter. The music will be powered by SoundCloud, and if that’s not available the app directs users to an iTunes preview. As of right now, no full streaming services like Spotify are a part of Twitter Music.

    Digging deeper, the app consists of a few other tabs. Alongside the suggested music that pulls personalized recommendations based on a user’s Twitter activity, there is also a #NowPlaying tab that will show you tweets from people you follow who tweet using the #NowPlaying hashtag (this is a fun little way to incorporate an old and popular hashtag). We can see this in action, thanks to a tweet from We Are Hunted co-founder Stephen Phillips:

    Other tabs include “Popular” and “Emerging” which will give users access to trending and up-and-coming artists and songs, respectively.

    According to the report, Twitter suggests that you sign in via Twitter when you open the standalone Twitter Music app, but it’s not required. Of course, personalized recommendations won’t work unless you’re signed in to the Twitter graph.

    Back in January, Twitter launched Vine, a six-second video app born out of another acquisition. Although Vine is Twitter’s app and works seamlessly with Twitter, Vine isn’t actually branded with the Twitter name and logo. According to the report, Twitter Music will be a Twitter app through and through.

  • Annoyed Neighbor Audiotapes Sexy Time: Posts on Soundcloud

    Reddit user melanieeritchie “had a friend” that was kept up all night by his neighbors having sex in the apartment next door. As retribution, he made an audio tape of the incident and posted it on Soundcloud. He then left this message on their door to let them know what he’d done.

    Do not go to the address posted above, it has since been taken down. Right now it is posted by Soundcloud user nebber, follow this link to listen:

    Woman in apartment block

    or HERE

    Nothing special. It’s actually about as annoying as being kept up all night with that going on. What is funny is that the same guy made a dubstep remix of the track. Listen here:

    Woman in apartment block – remix

    Of all the annoying things about apartment living this has to be the worst. It’s good to see someone getting some sort of cathartic release from being forced to listen to a neighbor’s cathartic release.

    He should have just done what this guy does when his neighbors’ go at it. He sets up challenges to amuse himself and viewers, all of which has to be done in the time it takes for the neighbors to finish.

  • Shapeways Offers New iPhone Case With Sound

    Innovators are sure to love this case. Shapeways has just revealed their new iPhone case and it’s loaded with features. The Vibe features SoundCloud integration. If you don’t know what soundCloud is, take a look at their website. Essentially it is a place to share and listen to sounds.

    Vibe owners can have their favorite sound wave transformed into a plastic 3-D sleeve for their iPhone. The result is a totally unique case that no one can mistake. Creation is simple with Shapeways’ new web app that allows consumers to design and transform sound waves into products you can touch. Available in high-gloss white or black, the case can be purchased for an introductory price of twenty bucks.

    Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen comments the new case:

    “We are really excited to let anyone design their own personalized iPhone case with their favorite sound. The Vibe is literally sound you can touch! This is yet another example of how Shapeways is enabling personalized production using 3D printing.”

    It sounds exciting and it’s definitely a new take on what can be done with sound waves. I like the idea, the iPhone is a truly innovative product so why not pair it with a case that’s equally novel? If all your friends have iPhones this will be a great way to distinguish yourself and get crazy with the graphics at the same time. It’s kind of a hard concept to explain, but a pictures worth a thousand words. If you’re an iPhone owner it might be worth the twenty dollars.

    Thanks for the upgrades Shapeways. Can’t wait to see this app in action.

  • The Tech Industry Needs More Women, Less Girls

    Caroline Drucker, partner marketing manager of SoundCloud, took part in an event called IgniteNYC. According to the site, they ask the question…

    5 minutes and 20 slides rotating automatically in front of NYC’s brightest geeks, what would you say? For nearly two years Ignite NYC has cultivated a vibrant community of artists, technologists, thinkers, tinkerers, and personalities to connect, develop new relationships and projects, and answer this challenge. Enlighten us, but make it quick!

    Drucker discussed an issue which many deem important, but most of the solutions have been repeated and regurgitated across tech blogs around the internet – How can women become more involved in prominent roles in the world of tech?

    Drucker’s perspective is simple; females in tech should start referring to themselves as women instead of girls. Her insights are pretty funny, and thought-provoking. If you’re wondering how she defines a “woman”, it’s someone who’s menstruated and paid taxes. The reason for the distinction is because the term woman is associated with maturity and power, while girl implies immaturity and less power. Simple enough.

    If I can interject with my own thought, I think the problem comes from women getting gipped when it comes to age/maturity neutral descriptors. Let’s take a look…

    Man – Woman
    Boy – Girl
    Male – Female
    Guy – ummm…Girl

    A guy can be anyone. There are 5 year old guys, and 90 year old guys. Yet, we equate a guy to a girl, even though we use the same term when we’re designating a female child. I think it’s time we devised a maturity neutral descriptor for women/girls. Or women could simply refer to themselves as such in the workplace; that is, after their first menstruation and tax filing.

  • SoundCloud Hits 10 Million Users

    SoundCloud announced that it has hit the 10 million user milestone. That’s registered users, by the way. You don’t have to be registered to listen to sounds. Over 7 million of those users have come over the past year.

    It looks like mobile has been a pretty big factor. While a spokesperson for the company tells us it isn’t breaking out the iPhone vs. Android app numbers yet, the company does say that its mobile apps have been downloaded over 5 million times.

    Furthermore, over 10,000 apps are being developed on SoundCloud’s open platform. Recent additions include integrations with pro music creation software Pro Tools and Cakewalk.

    “As we continue to work hard to innovate on our platform and API, it’s the support and creativity of our community that motivate and inspire us every day,” says co-founder and CTO Eric Wahlforss.

    CEO Alexander Ljung adds, “When Eric and I started SoundCloud, we had the vision of enabling people to create and share sound more easily and collaboratively. Today 10 million people are recognizing that vision and it makes us extremely proud and encouraged that people are supporting our mission to unmute the web.”

    To celebrate the milestone, SoundCloud has created a new SoundCloud Labs project called Story Wheel, which enables users to record a narrative around a series of images “to tell a personal story”.

    You can see an example from Ljung and Wahlforss here.

    “New projects like ‘Story Wheel’ demonstrate how placing sound as the central component of an online experience can be incredibly powerful,” says Wahlforss.

    The company points out that SoundCloud is about much more than music, noting that journalists, bloggers, publishers and educational institutions are also among those taking advantage.

    Earlier this month, SoundCloud announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount of funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which the company says will allow SoundCloud to continue to expand more rapidly.

  • SoundCloud and Kleiner Perkins: A Big Deal

    SoundCloud and Kleiner Perkins: A Big Deal

    SoundCloud is officially a big deal. A really big deal. And the big deal that took place cements their placement in the world of big deals.

    Perhaps you are asking, “What’s the big deal?”.

    Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has been referred to as the “largest and most established” venture capitalist firm in the world, by The Wall Street Journal. KPCB does not touch anything that will not generate millions of dollars.

    To some, SoundCloud may largely be though of as the vehicle in which such entertaining clips as featured here could be heard. Clearly, it’s evolving to become much more, and investors are taking notice.

    “SoundCloud has seen exponential growth this year in terms of users and greatly evolved our product offerings,” said SoundCloud founder & CEO, Alexander Ljung. “With Kleiner Perkins’ impeccable track record for recognizing and investing in companies with a long-term view, and their understanding and support for the potential of sound, we couldn’t be more excited about working together.”

    Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, will take a board observer seat at SoundCloud. Currently, she serves on the board of Square, and is involved in KPCB’s investments in Groupon, Legalzoom, Waze, 360buy.com, Spotify, Jawbone, One King’s Lane and Trendyol.

    “Mary Meeker showed very clearly in her recent State of the Internet 2011 presentation that sound is the next frontier on the Web,” said Ljung. “That vision, along with spotlighting mobile and international markets, made it clear that Kleiner Perkins aligns with SoundCloud’s mission.”

    The company’s previous funding came from B-Round investors Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures, and A-Round investor Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures.

  • SoundCloud Gets iPad App

    SoundCloud Gets iPad App

    SoundCloud launched an iPad app today, not doubt making a lot of iPad users very happy. With the app, users can create, record and promote their music and sounds on the fly.

    “While maximizing native iPad capabilities like multi-touch and page swiping, SoundCloud’s app takes full advantage of the iPad interface to allow users to touch the newly designed waveform of the sound captured, allowing for a more social experience, which also includes more space for scrolling comments,” the company explains in the announcement. “In addition, users can now record private messages and send them directly to other people on SoundCloud.”

    “SoundCloud’s new iPad application allows people to discover SoundCloud in an exciting new way. It takes full advantage of the functionality of the iPad, enticing people to capture and share sounds in a more social context than they might expect,” says Alexander Ljung, founder and CEO of SoundCloud. “The end result is a creator and listening experience unlike any other music or audio application out there.”

    Introducing the SoundCloud iPad app from SoundCloud on Vimeo.

    The key features of the iPad app are listed as:

    • More intuitive: Flowing screens to help navigate and discover sounds more easily along with simplified ‘stream’ and ‘activity’ tabs.
    • More waveform: More space to interact with the newly designed waveform allowing users to add comments directly to the waveform and see them scroll as a sound plays.
    • More social: Easier to ‘find & follow’ people and now record dedicated private messages to someone with a single tap.
    • More visual: Larger profile images throughout the app.

    SoundCloud mobile

    For those who may not happen to have or use an iPad, there is more good news. Along with the iPad app, comes updates the SoundCloud mobile experience on Android and iPhone (as well as the mobile site at m.soundcloud.com).

    To be honest, I have not used SoundCloud a whole lot myself, but my wife uses it a lot to upload recordings, and she has mentioned from time to time that the mobile experience has left much to be desired. I’ve seen plenty of complaints about it on the web. We’ll see if people like it better now.

  • Is Spotify The True Alternative to Music Pirating?

    With the popularity of Spotify growing daily, especially since the Facebook partnership announcement, does this mean the service also represents an honest-to-goodness alternative for would-be music pirates?

    If reports from Sweden are extrapolated out to the rest of Internet-using population, the streaming music service may very well be an effective replacement for those who normally download their music. According to a report from TorrentFreak, ever since the launch of Spotify in Sweden — the country where the service was created — publicly in 2009, music pirating from the Swedish population has dropped by 25 percent. The studies were conducted by the Swedish Music industry, and aside from the noticeable drop in pirating, Spotify’s music service is, as well as others like it, are credited with the pirating decrease.

    In fact, Spotify’s launch is directly attributed to decrease:

    When Spotify opened up to the public early 2009, it took only three months before the number of Spotify users had outgrown the number of music pirates. In the months after that the number of downloaders continued to decline while Spotify expanded its user base.

    Furthermore, the report reveals streaming services like Spotify are the preferred method of accessing music, outgrowing those who download music legally:

    More than 40 percent of the participants in the survey now use a music streaming service, compared to less than 10 percent who say they download music legally.

    TorrentFreak’s report features quotes from Music Sweden’s CEO Elizabet Widlund who also praises Spotify directly for the decrease:

    “The long-term trend is a sharp increase in legal streaming while we see a reduction in illegal file sharing and downloading. When 800,000 Swedes are willing to pay for streaming music, there is clearly a market for more legal players in the digital music market…”

    The idea here is amazingly simple: if you give potential consumers access a vast library of music they can pick and choose from, and you offer a version of that service free of charge, supported largely by non-intrusive ads, these same consumers will be less likely to resort to downloading.

    Granted, there are those who equate supporting the music industry as being akin to supporting the RIAA, and therefore, they are going to download regardless of what kind of service is being offered. Well, except for that make believe service offering legally free downloads to any and everyone, copyrighted music or no. If such a service existed, the anti-RIAA crowd would probably use it.

    Oddly enough, the RIAA and other governing bodies could’ve ended the download craze if they would’ve simply bought Napster and charged $5 a month for unlimited downloads, but I digress.

    Sadly, it took over 10 years for other services to pop up, services that essentially offer the same thing I suggested with Napster. Nevertheless, Spotify is here now, as is Pandora, SoundCloud and Groveshark. As a result of these services, pirating music is decreasing. Who would’ve thought such a thing?

    Certainly not the RIAA.