SoundCloud Plunge Roaming?

[EvilRaccoon]

So I'm not sure if anyone has been keeping up to date with SoundCloud, but there looks like they're about to take a hammering over the next 6 months.

Last week it was reported on TechCrunch they closed two offices (London and San Francisco) and lost 173 employees last week, being 40% of their staff. People left their jobs when hired by SoundCloud, to then be laid off within weeks of employment. Some of these employees claim that they were not paid for their work, either.

SoundCloud came out yesterday and said there were inaccuracies on Variety.com about the article on TechCrunch. And say they are funded to the fourth quarter of this year, and say they were wanting to "work with" those who were laid off. However, these statements don't actually cover any of the claimed inaccuracies in the article. If anything, they reinforce them.

Either way it looks like SoundCloud might start to tighten their belts even further as the fourth quarter is two months away. It's a shame, as many people have built a following on SC, including companies. All who have paid for the service. Nothings certain at this point. But it looks like users may lose out, and will be on the lookout for a new web avenue for audio content, and exposure.

Variety Article

[Troisnyx]

What would you suggest I go on, Peter? I had the feeling from when they were operating from losses about two years ago that they were going to be a sinking ship. Not even the takeover by / JV with Sony could help prop it up.

[DarkHorseOrchestra]

Don't worry, Chance the Rapper just saved the day.

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/14/17 03:18 PM, DarkHorseOrchestra wrote: Don't worry, Chance the Rapper just saved the day.

lol. I think soundcloud should comment with a bit more forward thinking rather than getting Chance say in a tweet "Just had a very fruitful call with Alex Ljung. SoundCloud is here to stay." It tells people very little.

At 7/14/17 01:11 PM, Troisnyx wrote: What would you suggest I go on, Peter? I had the feeling from when they were operating from losses about two years ago that they were going to be a sinking ship. Not even the takeover by / JV with Sony could help prop it up.

I honestly don't know where we could go. The platform fulfills a social requirement for audio creators, if it does go down. Then there will be several enthusiasts very interested in stepping in. It'll be a matter of seeing which one sticks.

I honestly don't understand what makes SoundCloud require such a huge team. You're initially of about 300 worldwide. That's crazy..

[Rennh]

Sc is awful

Im glad theyre getting wrecked.

they dont fix glaring issues and have annoying "features" and dont listen to feedback

hopefully whoever buys them out fixes it all or just uses the infrastructure for a new website without the awful choices they made/make

[SoundChris]

At 7/14/17 06:52 PM, Rennh wrote: Sc is awful

Im glad theyre getting wrecked.

SC was good to implement on websites - also on mine and on almost any composer´s websites out there. I am quite annoyed that i have to find an alternative probably ...

[zybor]

This is why I cleaned all my SC accounts and moved back to NG. ShitCloud is trying to play corporate game, and they will fail very hard.

[zybor]

At 7/14/17 04:35 PM, EvilRaccoon wrote: I honestly don't understand what makes SoundCloud require such a huge team. You're initially of about 300 worldwide. That's crazy..

Data management is hell of a job. Unless they are hosting shit in their own datacenters around the world, honestly I think they are just bad doing it. Now they are cleaning house. I'd be shit faced if I get laid off after all the troubles to work at a shit company. Welcome to corporate charlatan.

[GoToMyNewAccount]

Ahh, who cares. We Newgroundians are still standing tall. Soon no one will be able to resist the call of @TomFulp. We just need some more customization, dammit!

[midimachine]

ehh there's some big story about soundcloud dying at least once a year - although they do need to start improving their service asap or eventually it won't just be a story

[ADR3-N]

At 7/14/17 07:43 PM, SoundChris wrote: SC was good to implement on websites - also on mine and on almost any composer´s websites out there. I am quite annoyed that i have to find an alternative probably ...

SC has always been terrible in my eyes. Just a sort of juvenile atmosphere, really, and charging for upload time -- absolutely ridiculous. YT offers unlimited uploads and good analytics for free.

If you want good embeds, Newgrounds and YT are the way to go. NG has a nice visualizer built in, and YT can host any number of premade visualizations, slideshows, or simple album covers, all without charging you a dime. ;)

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/14/17 10:08 PM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: Ahh, who cares. We Newgroundians are still standing tall. Soon no one will be able to resist the call of @TomFulp. We just need some more customization, dammit!

Well some users do use SoundCloud for work, not myself personally. But it's a large marketing pull. So I imagine it would be a concern to those users.

I agree with your comments though guys, and that it's not been great. However SoundCloud has specific appeals to it that Newgrounds doesn't. @EDM364, I actually think Newgrounds appears to be the juvenile contender between the two. The porn, the millennial graphic visualiser, the judgmental scores, the young userbase, the style, etc. These are things that do not attract companies. Whereas SoundCloud does have these users on it.

Embeds are only internal (last time I checked), and cannot play externally. If you embed a SC track, you can play it without going to the website.

@Snowteddy

Data management is hell of a job. Unless they are hosting shit in their own datacenters around the world, honestly I think they are just bad doing it. Now they are cleaning house. I'd be shit faced if I get laid off after all the troubles to work at a shit company. Welcome to corporate charlatan.

It is, however 300...you're talking Rockstar North size here. There's no need for that many to operate. Clever data management is heavily automated.

[GoToMyNewAccount]

I want to help Newgrounds with marketing ideas. But they're mine so...lol. Nah jk.

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/15/17 08:38 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: I want to help Newgrounds with marketing ideas. But they're mine so...lol. Nah jk.

Yeah, you and 19 other pages of 'Audio Suggestions' (Cough...'The Abyss'). :P

[GoToMyNewAccount]

At 7/15/17 09:25 AM, EvilRaccoon wrote:

At 7/15/17 08:38 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: I want to help Newgrounds with marketing ideas. But they're mine so...lol. Nah jk.

Yeah, you and 19 other pages of 'Audio Suggestions' (Cough...'The Abyss'). :P

Ha...ha...

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/15/17 09:31 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: Ha...ha...

Eh...Not a joke? It's in reference to the fact that ideas go in there to die/ get lost.

[GoToMyNewAccount]

At 7/15/17 09:49 AM, EvilRaccoon wrote:

At 7/15/17 09:31 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: Ha...ha...

Eh...Not a joke? It's in reference to the fact that ideas go in there to die/ get lost.

I know. I've taken part greatly in that thread.

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/15/17 10:18 AM, TheDukeofJuke wrote: I know. I've taken part greatly in that thread.

Ah, I didn't know, we all put in our two cents in. I don't go into it now, nor make suggestions. They seem to be ignored, even when people quite like the idea and + it. What will be, will be! :)

[johnfn]

At 7/14/17 10:19 PM, midimachine wrote: ehh there's some big story about soundcloud dying at least once a year - although they do need to start improving their service asap or eventually it won't just be a story

but "soundcloud fires half their employees to save money" isnt exactly the sort of overhyped story you've seen before. it's exactly the kind of behavior that companies exhibit at the end of their life.

[ADR3-N]

At 7/15/17 06:34 AM, EvilRaccoon wrote: Embeds are only internal (last time I checked), and cannot play externally. If you embed a SC track, you can play it without going to the website.

False. I can embed NG players on any site that lets you edit html. SC just paid Twitter and FB for integration. That's why it seems better.

As far as audience, NG is really the only place where artist and fan get to engage meaningfully and improve the craft. SC is just prettier is all. It has more cons than pros. Sound quality is awful. Audience is immature, fickle, and approximately equivalent to YT and FB's meaningless like culture. NG has far higher engagement in my experience. Also, charging for upload time is BULLSHIT. Of course companies love SC. It favors the rich. How can a broke-ass artist like myself compete with a label on SC?

It is, however 300...you're talking Rockstar North size here. There's no need for that many to operate. Clever data management is heavily automated.

You do need humans to investigate copyright claims. That could explain some of the bloat, but that is pretty ridiculous.

[Troisnyx]

At 7/15/17 05:35 PM, EDM364 wrote:

At 7/15/17 06:34 AM, EvilRaccoon wrote: Embeds are only internal (last time I checked), and cannot play externally. If you embed a SC track, you can play it without going to the website.

False. I can embed NG players on any site that lets you edit html. SC just paid Twitter and FB for integration. That's why it seems better.

Word; Versilian Studios' site used to do that with the NG embeddable players.

It is, however 300...you're talking Rockstar North size here. There's no need for that many to operate. Clever data management is heavily automated.

You do need humans to investigate copyright claims. That could explain some of the bloat, but that is pretty ridiculous.

The rich turning in on themselves before finally collapsing. The HQ costs I don't know how much to run on its own?

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/15/17 05:35 PM, EDM364 wrote: False. I can embed NG players on any site that lets you edit html. SC just paid Twitter and FB for integration. That's why it seems better.

Which is why, SC is better. Integrated to Social Media for ease of access, and secondly, everyone has been embedding the SC player for ages on pages...So you get best of both worlds.

As far as audience, NG is really the only place where artist and fan get to engage meaningfully and improve the craft.

I really disagree. I don't know where to start with this...NG's doesn't have the professional draw to support community craft improvement.

How can a broke-ass artist like myself compete with a label on SC?

Costs come with professionalism and trade. If you require more than 2 hours duration then you're taking your audio quite seriously. 7$ a month is not a lot. Consider other professional costs, Domain, Hosting, Trade Fees, DAWs, Libs, 3rd Party Talent, Mastering Engineers, Mixing Engineers, etc.

7$ Is less than Netflix.

[ADR3-N]

At 7/15/17 09:07 PM, EvilRaccoon wrote: Which is why, SC is better.

Really gonna have to agree to disagree here. SC has done me really dirty. I prefer YT to SC.

I really disagree. I don't know where to start with this...NG's doesn't have the professional draw to support community craft improvement.

Tell me, how often do you get songwriting and mixing critique on SC compared to NG or even YT.

Costs come with professionalism and trade. If you require more than 2 hours duration then you're taking your audio quite seriously. 7$ a month is not a lot. Consider other professional costs, Domain, Hosting, Trade Fees, DAWs, Libs, 3rd Party Talent, Mastering Engineers, Mixing Engineers, etc.

I have some 94 songs, 200 counting the remixes and covers I've done that I can't host here, and live recordings and performances. Not paying SC to host it and get nothing out of it except a bill and a downgrade in quality. YT pays me to host my stuff.

I'm working on mostly free or gifted software on my own. I would consider SC if I were signed and was not in control of the final product, or if I had the means. Imo, SC is not for independent musicians on the low. YT is better in that way. And you know, without Newgrounds, I never would have started out in music to begin with. NG has that way of inspiring rather than commercializing. Not to mention, I've NEVER gotten helpful feedback on SC, whereas I got a call from a record label in Chicago for my work here. YT is also more likely to go viral than SC. More people use YT for music than other streaming services.

7$ Is less than Netflix.

Something I also don't have because I find it useless, lol.

Anyway, like I said, agreeing to disagree. I've been done dirty by SC more than once, and this is when I was considering paying for the service, but thankfully found alternatives rather than being discouraged.

[EvilRaccoon]

At 7/15/17 09:43 PM, EDM364 wrote:

At 7/15/17 09:07 PM, EvilRaccoon wrote: Which is why, SC is better.

Really gonna have to agree to disagree here. SC has done me really dirty. I prefer YT to SC.

Well. The proof of the player is evident, over newgrounds player. My point wasn't against YT though, I don't know where you're drawing that from?

I really disagree. I don't know where to start with this...NG's doesn't have the professional draw to support community craft improvement.

Tell me, how often do you get songwriting and mixing critique on SC compared to NG or even YT.

It looks like we're getting our wires crossed. You're claim was that NGs is the "only place where an artist and fan get to engage and improve craft." I disagreed, because Youtube, Masterclass, Evenant, VIControl, Facebook, Lynda, Bandcamp, whatever, etc Are all substantially better than Newgrounds in these areas.

You seemed to have misinterpreted my argument to be pro soundcloud, over all newgrounds and other websites. Whereas my argument is that other websites compared to newgrounds for Audio support are substantially better. I don't use Soundcloud extensively, but continue to use other websites for learning. So therefore I would never claim that Newgrounds is the only place to be.

[SoundChris]

At 7/15/17 09:43 PM, EDM364 wrote:

At 7/15/17 09:07 PM, EvilRaccoon wrote: Which is why, SC is better.

Really gonna have to agree to disagree here. SC has done me really dirty. I prefer YT to SC.

I use SC and YT. Both have their advantages. I just use SC for portfolio and implementation. But to be honest: If i want a serious critique and analysis of my work, if i want orchestration tipps, complex production questions, infos about new releases and discussions about special products, about international contests and also job offers, then i definitely say: Nothing ! beats VI Control for composers. I love NG because i started here, because of nostalgia and because i have quite many friends here. But we should not try to play the fact down that the ap has serious problems and that most of the really strong artists already left :( I just hope that this will change again and als othat the staff and tom understands that a simple forum thread about "how to imrpove the ap" doesnt help much. In all the time i have been here most of the discussions are the very same. Since 5 years now. So i am not expecting much progress. Nevertheless. What i wanted to say: For each aspect there is a plattform. For me NG is more about friendship and fun. SC is for portfolio and implementation. And for complex music topics i am on vi:control. And thats how most of the guys that i know handle it.

Tell me, how often do you get songwriting and mixing critique on SC compared to NG or even YT.

Well - most of the critique i do get from my friends LucidShadowdreamer, Peter Satera, Bosa and dem0. Even i get frontpaged its hard to get reviews or feedback (which now during the contest is different. But i am afraid after the contest its over its becoming quite silent here again).

7$ Is less than Netflix.

Something I also don't have because I find it useless, lol.

I could not live without Netflix and Prime - TV is so shit these days ;)

[Daru925]

If soundcloud goes down, i will miss my fellow russian hot super(bot)models followers.
You say whatever you want, but what we had was real!

[GoToMyNewAccount]

At 7/16/17 12:49 AM, Daru925 wrote: If soundcloud goes down, i will miss my fellow russian hot super(bot)models followers.
You say whatever you want, but what we had was real!

Hahaha!