Soundcloud is one of the best-known indie music publishing sites on the internet, but a recent change to its terms of service may send artists elsewhere.
The streaming era has represented a fundamental shift in the way we consume music, elevating big tech to a powerful middleman position between artists and listeners. But since 2007, SoundCloud has represented an alternative path to artistic success. With a simple interface that lets anyone upload songs, podcasts, and more to share with the world, SoundCloud quickly became the de-facto platform for independent artists looking to bypass music industry gatekeepers and major streaming services on their way to success. It spawned entire genres that might otherwise never have existed. The “SoundCloud rap” wave of the 2010s familiarized the public with artists such as 21 Savage, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, and Juice Wrld. These artists blended trippy production with Internet slang, propelling themselves from obscurity to stardom with a click of SoundCloud’s Upload button.
However, times have changed drastically, and the latest update to SoundCloud should send alarm bells ringing across its user base. In a change made over a year ago, the platform drastically changed the rules regarding its ability to use user uploaded content for a variety of purposes. Now, with roughly 18 years of artistic output hosted on its servers, SoundCloud is positioned to use that data to drastically improve some of its services. But for those who don’t want their creative output used against their will to develop products that may compete against them in the market, it may be time to abandon ship. Here’s what you need to know, and what you can do about it.SoundCloud users must now agree to let AI train on their music
What’s got musicians worried is an update to the SoundCloud Terms of Use, which governs the rights of users and is tacitly agreed to when you use the platform.
