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Soundcloud's latest iPad app is good for listeners, bad for creators
Soundcloud likes to keep its apps looking sharp -- this much we know. It was only just recently that the music service gave its iPhone app a bit of spit and polish. This time it's the iPad version's turn. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the design-DNA from the smaller iOS app carries over to the tablet version, but it comes with some functional tweaks too. The music-player's waveform isn't just simplistic, it's functional (touch to play, pause, skip etc). Also, you don't need an account to listen to tracks (you just ope, search and play) -- why don't all music apps work like that! It's not all give though: comments, track info and follower lists are all temporarily removed (they'll make a return at some point soon, we're told). As for the bigger picture, the update also proves Soundcloud is moving towards content delivery rather than enabling its creation (it's been a tool for independent musicians right from the start). How so? The removal of recording and uploading tools should fairly well make that clear.
SoundCloud's iPad gets an extreme makeover, kills audio recording
If you're a SoundCloud fan who previously found the iPad experience to be a bit lacking in the features department you'll be happy to see today's update brings virtually every feature of the desktop version to your tablet. Unfortunately, it also kills off a feature that you'd probably consider to be the most basic for an app that revolves around sharing music, podcasts, and the like: audio recording. Along with being able to create and share playlists, build a collection of content, and browse an endless vault of all types of audio SoundCloud has seen fit to remove the ability to record tracks of your own from within the app. Instead, the company encourages users to seek out one of the many third party options that allow you to upload directly to SoundCloud, which seems a little bit odd.
Qualcomm's universal media streaming comes to SoundCloud
Qualcomm's AllPlay universal media streaming hasn't had quite as much traction as technologies like DLNA or Apple's AirPlay, but it's definitely gaining some momentum in the new year. The mobile chip maker has unveiled a new round of both hardware and service partners that will let you use AllPlay, some of which you'll definitely recognize. Both SoundCloud and Tidal plan to offer support later this year, making sure that you can hear remixes, podcasts and pristine-sounding songs on a wide range of networked speakers and stereos. Chinese and Korean listeners, meanwhile, will be happy to know that QQ Music and KT Music are also on deck.
SoundCloud's new hub puts all your favorite audio in one place
SoundCloud isn't shy about its plans to launch a subscription service, but it's going to need a new interface to make that service work -- and it just took one of the first big steps in that direction. Updates to its iOS and web apps (Android is coming in 2015) now include Collection, a hub that puts all your favorite audio in a central location. The page shows the artists you follow, liked tracks and playlists without having to jump between different sections. It's very straightforward, but it's also extra-handy for shuffling your most-loved songs and finding out when there's a new DJ mix or radio show. Check it out today if SoundCloud plays a big role in your listening habits.
T-Mobile's data-free streaming adds Google Play Music and more
Google Play Music was absent from T-Mobile's Music Freedom options... until now. After a public vote to see who should be next, Mountain View's streaming library will no longer gobble your data on the UnCarrier's network. Google's music service is among 14 others, including Xbox Music and SoundCloud, that won't count against that monthly allowance when you're in need of some tunes on-the-go. Of course, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora and ten others were already given the free pass, so with the recent additions, that total now tallies 27 in all. The full list of today's additions awaits on the other side of the break.
SoundCloud inks its first major label deal, eyes streaming service in 2015
After rumors swirled for months regarding SoundCloud's pending licensing deals with major labels, Warner Music Group is the first to sign on. As part of the agreement, the German audio-streaming site will shell out funds each time one of the labels' songs are spun. What's more, it seems the crux of the deal was that SoundCloud would guarantee it'd be launching its own subscription service -- which is said to happen during the first half of 2015.
Hear the space age unfold on NASA's historic SoundCloud account
If you've ever wanted to cobble together a really wicked EDM track comprised mostly of sound bites from NASA's Mercury missions, well, now's your chance. Everyone's favorite beleaguered space agency has been posting a treasure trove of audio clips that span the space age to its SoundCloud account (just in time to post them in form of Twitter's new Audio Cards), and they're really worth a listen.
Twitter's Audio Cards bring more music to your social feed
By now, you've likely noticed that Twitter slapping new Cards in your timeline on a regular basis. Well, now you're about to get more sound. The company announced today that the Audio Card is on its way to iOS and Android devices, and it'll allow you to listen right from the social feed. Not wanting to hold up your browsing, the content will continue to play while you scroll through the rest of that collection of tweets. What's more, the offering is getting a hand from streaming services, but for now, the first one to opt in is SoundCloud. While that may see like an odd match, rumors circulated a few months back that Twitter was looking to snatch up that audio service, and SoundCloud continues to add new features that make it much more of a listening option than one for producers. You can expect podcasts and more to get cozy in your timeline from the likes of NASA, NPR, Pitchfork and many more. Audio Cards are still in the testing phase, but they're said to be rolling out for more "partners and creators" to use soon.
SoundCloud gets ads, but will soon let you pay to get rid of them
Often billed as the "YouTube of music," SoundCloud has become the number one choice for up and coming artists looking to share their tracks with the world. However, despite boasting a userbase that's four times bigger than Spotify's, the startup has found it difficult to turn that activity into revenue. The company hopes it can change that with the launch of a new Premier tier for "On SoundCloud" that will bring ads to the service, and also allow artists and record labels to start monetizing their music.
Bloomberg: SoundCloud nearing licensing deals with record labels
Since SoundCloud's one of the biggest places to share mixes, recordings and podcasts, it obviously has to grapple with a lot of copyright issues. That's the reason why it reportedly approached record labels to cut licensing deals months ago -- deals, which are now real close to going through, at least according to Bloomberg. The publication says SoundCloud's offering Universal, Sony and Warner Music a 3 to 5 percent stake each, so long as they agree not to sue the company. According to earlier reports, the deal could lead to a more robust library for SoundCloud users, while giving recording companies the right to pull down uploads containing tracks not licensed for use on the service.
Bop.fm playlists don't care which music service you use
You use Spotify, your brother is an Rdio guy and your girlfriend is all about Beats. So sharing playlists is basically a no-go. Bop.fm's goal is to break down those walls by aggregating freely available music from a variety of sources. At the moment that list includes Spotify, Rdio, Beats, YouTube and SoundCloud, though you can only import playlists from the first two. When you sign up for Bop it detects what other services you're connected to, and automatically plays back a track from wherever it's available -- even if that's only as a video as YouTube. Of course, no music service is complete without its share of celebrity endorsers, so Bop.fm has enlisted Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Paul McCartney to share playlists.
Sonos now streams SoundCloud music collections
Sonos owners looking for more off-beat tracks than Spotify or Google Play Music offer can now access a SoundCloud beta program. SoundCloud likens itself to an audio version of Vimeo or Flickr: a platform for new artists, established acts like Macklemore, comedians and others to share tracks. Users can listen to unlimited music for free, download up to a hundred songs, join groups and even comment on specific parts of a song. If you've got a Sonos device like the Play:1, you'll be able to access SoundCloud by heading to the "add music services" section in the latest Sonos iOS or Android controller app. From there, you've got a stupefying array of choices -- 12 hours of music is loaded to the site every minute.
SoundCloud for iPhone gets a beautiful complete overhaul
If you've never explored SoundCloud today would be a great time to start. The groundbreaking music sharing service has been exploding in popularity with independent artists over the last few years thanks to its powerful discovery and sharing tools. Today the service's iOS app has received a complete overhaul, making it one of the most beautiful, and functional music apps available. Users will immediately notice the visual experience has been dramatically improved. Soundcloud's new design is beautiful, with a focus on album art that many music apps ignore. Along with this facelift the controls have been optimized for mobile. During playback tapping anywhere will play or pause a song, while swiping will skip tracks for you. To skip ahead in a track simply slide your finger along the wave form. It's simple, and the large wave form graphics makes finding the exact moment your looking for in a song easy. Soundcloud's navigation menus have also gotten a fresh coat of paint. The new home screen is focused on music discovery, allowing users to search through trending artists, tracks, and genres. Each artist's page shows their full profile, from tracks to other artists they've liked. Nothing is hidden behind sub menus that force you to know where to look to discover new music. Any tracks or playlists you've personally liked are stored under the "You" tab making easier than ever to quickly find the song you want. Finally the app's search has been improved to add the ability to play a track directly from the search page rather than having to jump back and forth between sections of the app. Sadly the update has removed the app's ability to record and post audio directly from your phone, but it's a minor inconvenience in the long run. Soundcloud does recommend that you read this tutorial before you download the new app if you currently have audio recordings you haven't uploaded yet. You can download Soundcloud for iOS for free right now in the iTunes store.
SoundCloud's iOS app gets simplified controls as it focuses on listeners
SoundCloud's tune-sharing prowess continues to drawn the eye of musicians looking to distribute their tracks around the web and social channels. Today, the audio outfit's iOS app got a major redesign that makes access to tracks you fancy a breeze. In addition to the simplicity-focused aesthetic overhaul, the software now sports "one thumb" controls: tapping anywhere toggles play/pause, swiping skips tracks and sliding along the tune's waveform moves around the song and its corresponding artwork. There's also a new You tab that compiles tracks, artists and playlists that you've both liked and created from scratch in one place so that you can get at them quickly. Songs found on the Search page can be played from that section in addition to giving a quick follow to users of note. Since SoundCloud took a listening focus with this version of the app, the recording function is no longer built in, so you'll have to look elsewhere to capture on the go.
Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars 2's living story soundtrack
I'm going to make a bold statement here that might net me some haters, but here goes: I think that Guild Wars 2 is better off now that it's cast off Jeremy Soule and moved on to in-house composers. Soule's soundtrack was great in parts, but he's not the be-all, end-all of good video game music. And his company's unexplained decision to yank the soundtrack from its store (and not even offer a digital version) irks me beyond the telling of it. Good luck finding it! So today I'm going to give tribute to the two men who have been forging ahead -- spectacularly, I might add -- with scoring Guild Wars 2's ongoing living story updates. Maclaine Diemer and Leif Chappelle have been whipping up a wide variety of tunes to go with the various story elements and events. To ArenaNet's credit, the studio has been posting these downloadable tracks for free on SoundCloud. And while rumor has it that Diemer and Chappelle are already composing music for season two, I thought it'd be worthwhile to go back and share some of my favorites from their season one portfolio. I won't be dipping into Super Adventure Box, however, as we did that last year.
Twitter eyes SoundCloud to get folks sharing more music
Twitter's usage stats have shown its growth slowing for quite some time, and now it seems buying a social-minded audio-sharing outfit could be part of the plan for a turnaround. Recode reports that SoundCloud may be part of that strategy, bringing its 250 million users to the 140-character microblogging platform. SoundCloud offers free audio hosting and sharing via its website for socialites to scatter however they see fit -- with a paid tier for those who need a extra features. The purchase would carry a steep price tag though, as the site was valued at $700 million after a round of funding back in January. This wouldn't be Twitter's first foray into music either, as its failed #Music app sought to bring tunes to users based on their popularity on the social platform. That effort was officially decommissioned last month. Update 5.20.14: A report from the Wall Street Journal today reads that Twitter had considered acquiring SoundCloud, but has since backed out of negotiations after "the numbers didn't add up."
SoundCloud reportedly in talks with record labels to stem copyright claims
Both listeners and uploaders would likely agree that SoundCloud is becoming the main hub on the internet for user-created audio content. However, it seems as if the company may be looking to grow beyond that. According to Re/code, SoundCloud has started approaching "big music labels" in hopes of landing licensing deals for "some of their songs." While a number of copyrighted tunes can already be found on the site (see above), the music labels still have full control and can easily take down any media that isn't supposed to be there. For SoundCloud users, this would signify having access to a more robust library of songs from known artists, while the record companies would benefit by taking a chunk of money in exchange for a licensing agreement. It could be a bold move for SoundCloud, but with investors recently showing they have quite a lot of faith in it, perhaps the service isn't far off from coming to terms with the almighty music labels.
Lord of the Rings Online offers up the Helm's Deep soundtrack
All right, Lord of the Rings Online fans, another expansion is coming out really soon. It's only a week away. But maybe you still can't stand the wait. You're logging in and playing the game every night but you need something to make the next few days bearable. That's a bit of an overreaction, but Turbine has you covered with the addition of the Helm's Deep soundtrack to SoundCloud. Yes, you can now listen to the entire soundtrack from wherever, although you won't be able to download the tracks for obvious reasons. The music is the same orchestral score that players have come to expect from the game, with an atmosphere of desperate conflict and impending violence. It's the sort of thing that's very well-suited to a protracted siege and a last stand against Mordor, in other words. Even if you're not a fan of Lord of the Rings Online you can enjoy the soundtrack.
Jukebox Heroes: 14 MMO soundtracks you can check out on SoundCloud
I'm a pretty slow adopter of new technology and services, so I've only recently really started paying attention to the music-sharing service that is SoundCloud because I've started to see more and more MMO composers plopping down their work onto the site for the world to enjoy. Now that I've spent some time with SoundCloud, I've got to say just how impressed I am with what it can offer to the soundtrack community. Composers and studios can put their soundtracks up on the site for people to listen through without that annoying arbitrary 30-second limit that certain digital distribution platforms use. In addition to providing music for the ears, musicians have the option to show where these albums can be purchased -- and in some cases, offer the tracks as a free download. In return, listeners can tag portions of the songs and have back-and-forth discussions with the composers. I've done a lot of digging and have discovered quite a few MMO soundtracks that are available on SoundCloud, including some that you can legally download and enjoy today. Here are 14 to get you started, but if you see any more, please let us all know in the comments!
SoundCloud embedding comes to Google+, lets you rock out without a pop-up
Hear some amazing new song you've just got to share with your Circles? After introducing a Google+ sign-in, way, way back in May, SoundCloud and Mountain View have teamed up to offer music embedding on the social network. Now you can share a song that's playable directly in Google+, with no need to open a new tab. Click the share button, add some optional text and voila, the widget will appear on your page -- that is, if the song's original poster is cool with it. Sharing only works on songs when the functionality is enabled. More info in the source link below.
