If Spotify is the distributor, SoundCloud is the entry gate. That’s how SoundCloud differentiates itself from its competition, according to CEO Kerry Trainor.
“We’re with artists from the very beginning of their journey,” he told Cheddar in an interview Wednesday.
Trainor pointed out that many of the artists who dominated the charts late last year started on SoundCloud up to six years ago.
“We’re with artists when they’re putting their first uploads into the world, generating their first fans...whereas most of the other services are really further on in artists’ journeys.”
On Wednesday, the music and podcast streaming platform launched its first-ever advertising campaign titled “First on SoundCloud,” spotlighting new, emerging artists.
The news came on the same day that rival streaming platform, Pandora, announced plans to buy AdsWizz -- an audio ad tech company -- to create “the largest digital audio advertising ecosystem.”
But the question of how to pay artists fairly for their music looms large for the entire streaming industry.
“We’re still in pretty early days,” said Trainor.
“The exciting thing about streaming is that we now have a clear model where a lot of revenue is returning to music. Not [too] many years ago, there was a question mark whether people would pay for access to music at all.”
Eventually, he said, the industry will find a way to fix the economics around this.
VENU CEO JW Roth breaks ground on a 20,000-seat, state-of-the-art amphitheater in Texas—part of a $300M public-private expansion to redefine live music.
Despite healthcare spending cuts, medtech stocks like Edwards Life Sciences, Stryker, and Boston Scientific are rising, especially those serving older pati
Joby CPO Eric Allison discusses the UAE’s historic EVTOL take off, marking Dubai as the launchpad for global air taxi adoption and Joby’s commercial readiness.
CFRA’s Angelo Zino joins us to unpack Meta’s Superintelligence Labs and what it means for the future of AI, innovation, and the company’s bold new direction.
AIRO CEO Joe Burns and Executive Chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria talks the future of aerospace, drones, and urban air mobility through innovation and synergy.
NYC's mayoral race heats up with a socialist candidate aiming to make the city affordable—and rattling the financial sector. Plus: Coinbase's prospects.
Mark Hamrick of Bankrate discusses the jobs market, AI's growing impact on employment, and how markets are reacting to today’s surprising payroll data.
