Soundcloud Testing a Vertical Music Discovery Feed Like TikTok

SoundCloud has now joined the membership of streaming providers and discovery apps with AI-powered vertical feeds to assist introduce new artists. The vertical feed performs highlighted music clips, permitting customers to take a look at the complete music if . The function was made well-liked largely by TikTok, adopted by different quick video and reel platforms quickly after.

The new function remains to be being examined by SoundCloud on each its Android and iOS apps. It’s at present accessible to solely a choose variety of customers.

The new discovery feed will counsel songs based mostly on the consumer’s listening historical past and style in music.

Users included in SoundCloud’s check can entry the brand new function by the “Discover” web page below the “Feed” tab. It’s now accompanied by a following web page, which reveals music from artists adopted by the consumer. In the previous, the Feed tab served solely because the latter.

The Discover web page is AI-powered and suggests music, even from new artists, so long as it matches the consumer’s tastes. Each suggestion is accompanied by a line that explains why precisely it confirmed up within the newsfeed, similar to a comparable music you will have appreciated or artists you observe.

The Discover Page doesn’t play full songs – solely highlighted clips. Users can hearken to the complete model and look at extra data on the observe by hitting the play button.

Good information for small artists

The introduction of the music discovery function on SoundCloud is nice information for small artists with out a sizable fan base. By suggesting their music observe to customers who may like them, the Discovery Page will assist them acquire extra publicity. TikTok and different apps with such vertical feeds have already helped small artists tremendously prior to now.

SoundCloud acquired AI music curation firm Musiio final 12 months, particularly to enhance music discovery on the platform.

When publishing music, artists can choose a 30-second clip for the highlighted preview on the invention web page. Alternatively, they’ll additionally select to let Musiio’s AI tech select the very best half to maintain as preview clips.

Evidently, discovery feeds are rising extra well-liked throughout music streaming apps. Spotify has been testing a comparable function for a few years now, though the corporate is but to launch it totally. Short clips and AI have additionally been utilized by different music discovery apps, like HotDrop and Smores.

Resso, a music streaming platform owned by TikTok’s mother or father firm ByteDance primarily makes use of a vertical discovery feed too. However, in contrast to the remaining, Resso’s discovery feed performs full songs as a substitute of quick clips.

SoundCloud’s constant efforts to stay artist-friendly

SoundCloud launched a number of fan-powered royalty applications in the previous few years to create a extra artist-friendly fee mannequin. Instead of following a pro-rata mannequin, the corporate distributes the subscription and advert revenues from every consumer among the many artists they hearken to.

As of now, SoundCloud hosts over 320 million music tracks from greater than 40 million creators. The firm additionally introduced that the platform boasts 130 million engaged followers.

One may notice that SoundCloud slashed its workforce by 20% final 12 months within the face of “a significant company transformation and the challenging economic and financial environment.”  It stays to be seen what the longer term holds for SoundCloud. However, one factor is definite – the brand new function is a welcome boost and makes the platform even friendlier to small artists.