SoundCloud launches paid subscription service, SoundCloud Go

SoundCloud has finally launched its own paid subscription service, giving listeners yet another on-demand streaming option -- and likely saving the company tons of copyright lawsuits.

SoundCloud Go, like Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal Premium, costs $9.99 per month and will offer ad-free and offline listening.

In a press release on Tuesday, the company said SoundCloud Go would give listeners access to more than 125 million tracks from 12 million artists. The more raw music that SoundCloud has become known for -- like Kanye West's Easter release, for example -- will still be available on SoundCloud for free.

"SoundCloud Go represents our vision of the future of music streaming: a platform for creators to collaborate on; for fans to discover the latest tracks, enjoy legendary music and connect with their favorite artists; and for our unique creative community to have the opportunity to be paid for their work," said Alexander Ljung, SoundCloud Founder and CEO.

"We are proud to offer theultimate music streaming choice for both artists and fans and, together with the music industry, enable artists at all stages of their careers to be heard on SoundCloud."

The announcement comes just over a week after SoundCloud announced it had reached a deal with Sony Music to make the label's catalogs available, not even a year after Sony initially pulled much of its major artists from the site. Sony was the last of the Big Three labels to reach an agreement with the streamer -- and, evidently, the only thing holding the company back from launching SoundCloud Go.

SoundCloud's plans for a subscription service were first made public in November 2014, when the company reached a licensing deal with Warner Music Group.

Before reaching agreements to give labels a cut, SoundCloud was the target of several copyright lawsuits.

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