SoundCloud

            SoundCloud is another popular platform for social media used in the music industry. It was established in Germany in 2007. It started as a way for musicians to share recording with each other, but ended up being a way for artists to distribute their music tracks as well. At first, it was in direct competition with MySpace, who also had a music section that was used for fans to interact and download. However, with the decline of MySpace, it gave room for SoundCloud to gain brand awareness the industry. SoundCloud also was differentiated from MySpace because it gave artists a specific URL. This gave artists the unique opportunity to combine their SoundCloud account with Facebook and Twitter. In the preferences, artists were able to have their newest tracks uploaded to Twitter and Facebook automatically. By 2010, SoundCloud had over one million subscribers. An example of a SoundCloud track is given in the Appendix, labeled as Figure 2.  In this figure, on the top left hand side, there is an option to share the track. This is for the fans. They can share it to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media. Fans are also able to comment on specific points of the track and give the musician feedback. This enables the fans to engage with the musician and tell him/her what they like and what they do not. This gives the fan a sense of community, where he/she feels as though the musician can consider the thoughts and comments given. Fans are also able to “follow” the band/artist, and will be kept up to date with the latest releases.