SoundCloud inks deal with Sony Music as streaming service looms
The popular audio library now has agreements in place with all of the major labels.
Back in January, SoundCloud and Universal Music Group came to terms on a licensing deal and now the popular music site has inked another agreement. SoundCloud announced today that it has a deal in place with Sony Music Entertainment, which means that the company now has agreements will all three major labels. In late 2014, the audio repository revealed its licensing deal with Warner Music Group and added 20,000 indie labels last summer after hashing out royalty terms with Merlin.
SoundCloud set out to lock down licensing agreements after coming under scrutiny for hosting songs that violated copyright laws. The company has also discussed its plans to launch a streaming service multiple times. That was expected to happen in 2015, but details remains scarce on both features and an arrival date. The press release announcing the agreement with Sony Music mentions "the introduction of subscription services in the US and other markets later this year," but declines to offer any further info. It's possible that a pending deal with Sony was causing the delay, so we could be hearing official word on the subscription plans soon enough.
