Soundcloud transformed into music distribution platform for up and coming musicians and creators to share their music much later but it was initially launched in 2008 as a platform to allow musicians to collaborate by facilitating the sharing and discussion of recordings. Since its launch, the platform has gained a global following and has become one of the most well known music sharing and streaming platforms hosting music from both indie and signed artists, as well as podcasts and other forms of audio.The open user-generated content platform model allows users to upload their tracks for streaming and/or downloading and to connect directly with fans globally.

In 2016 Soundcloud launched its first subscription streaming tiers, SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+, and has rolled out the services to select countries.

175m users now use SoundCloud worldwide, of which 76m are monthly active users. The service currently features over 180m tracks, which makes SoundCloud one of the streaming services with the largest and most diverse catalogues. SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+ currently have little over 500,000 paying subscribers.The service is particularly popular amongst creators, and has even spurred its own music genre being “mumble rap” also called “SoundCloud rap”

The SoundCloud service currently consists of three type of services:
– a free-to-the-user ad-funded on demand streaming service that provides access to all user uploaded material available on SoundCloud. SoundCloud’s freemium service is available worldwide, but is only monetized in a few territories being (TBC)

– SoundCloud Pro: an on-demand subscription streaming service that provides access to all user uploaded material available on SoundCloud without advertisements and including the ability to listen offline though caching. Subscriptions are available at $/€/GBP 5,99 per month. SoundCloud Go is currently available in the AU, NZ, US, UK, IE, FR, CA, DE, NL, BE, IT, PT, ES, CH.

– SoundCloud Pro+: an on-demand subscription streaming services that provides access to all user uploaded material available on SoundCloud as well as a licensed catalog of over 30m recordings, without advertisements and including the ability to listen offline through caching and access pre-programmed playlists. Subscriptions are available at $/€/GBP 9,99 per month. SoundCloud Go+ is currently available in the AU, NZ, US, UK, IE, FR, CA, DE, NL, BE, IT, PT, ES, CH.
Distribution to Soundcloud is available on VerseOne Distribution.

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