SoundCloud over the past decade has grown from a small start up company to becoming one of the main electronic music streaming platforms available on the web. The company’s rise has been entrenched with controversy due to widespread issues surrounding copyright infringement, which has affected artists both established and upcoming.
A recent example of this was in June when the SoundCloud community took up arms via social media after Ookay had his account deleted.
Earlier this year, a rumor surfaced surrounding the fact that SoundCloud was potentially going to restrict recorded DJ Mixes, and podcasts, due to the fact that many contain copy-written content. Since SoundCloud’s use has become so widespread, they have received massive pressure from large record labels to monetize streams, as well as to restrict unlicensed content. This is partially why that rumor was originally substantiated.
Due to the negative press SoundCloud was receiving, other streaming platforms such as Apple Music, and Spotify quickly made it known how their platforms could be a home for lengthy DJ mixes, which have become such an integral part of SoundCloud’s widespread appeal.
SoundCloud users can be excited because, after an exciting interview with the German publication Groove, Soundcloud CTO and Co-Founder Eric Wahlforss explained how using SoundCloud to host DJ mixes is now an approved use of the service.
He stated:
“Previously, because you could only legally upload DJ mixes to SoundCloud if you had the rights to all the tracks in the mix, at the instigation of the owners of the rights we had to take down mixes with copyrighted material.” he said.
“During the negotiations for SoundCloud Go, we achieved agreement with collecting societies like GEMA in Germany, making these problems a thing of the past – even for users who do not subscribe.
“This means that DJ mixes are now legal and problem-free on SoundCloud. So this is a very positive news for DJs. Furthermore, mixes should not be interrupted by advertising.”
The SoundCloud community has become a very real thing, and the fact of the matter, is that it empowers so many up-and-coming artists, and gives so many established artists a way to reach their fans. It is extremely exciting that DJ Mixes can now finally be considered a permanent facet of SoundCloud’s offerings, and fans and established artists can finally feel safe to put their mixes up.
