Social Networks in Music: Soundcloud
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-07-10/can-soundcloud-be-the-facebook-of-music-
In my previous blog post I looked into the popular music streaming service Spotify and highlighted the social aspect of it that made it a big network. However, Spotify does not include any interaction between artists, or from the artists to the listeners. Any interaction with the artist is completely one-sided: it’s a big directed graph of listeners pointed to artists and listeners pointed to each other, but everything ends at the artists. This is where Soundcloud has an advantage.
Soundcloud is an extremely popular streaming service that allows anyone to upload and share music. I have many friends who upload music through the website and according to them it really is as simple as creating an account and uploading files. Soundcloud has not only created a way for up-and-coming artists trying to make a name for themselves to get their music out there for free, but it has also vastly increased the social network of music by providing a means through which artists can share their songs with each other. It is the primary source of discovering new music. Even the biggest names in music release songs through Soundcloud (Kanye West released two new songs exclusively through the website today). Rob Walker of Bloomberg News raised the possibility that it could be the Facebook for music, and it was a very apt comparison. It has similar features, such as liking, commenting on and sharing audio. It allows users to go to other people’s pages and look at what they have shared or liked. Instead of friending, you follow someone, and it is up to them to follow back. You can join a group for a specific genre of music full of other people posting and discovering new music just like you. Most importantly, it creates a directed graph that does not necessarily end at artists. Rather, artists can follow each other and their listeners if they so desire. Oftentimes it is a one sided social interaction, but there are many cases of artists and reciprocating with a follow and thus creating a whole new outlet for the social network of music. Soundcloud has revolutionized the ability to share and listen to songs and has vastly increased the the social network of music.