Soundcloud launches streaming service in the UK taking on Spotify
LONDON -- SoundCloud is launching its paid subscription service, SoundCloud Go, in the UK and Ireland Tuesday, offering music fans access to its 125 million tracks for £9.99 (or €9.99) with a 30 day free trial.
The move comes hot on the heels of the service's launch in the U.S. in March in an attempt to position it against Spotify and Apple Music globally.
A free version will remain available, albeit with adverts inserted, and listeners will be able to sign up to a 30-day trial of the paid service.
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The paid version will allow people to hear an expanded catalogue and will facilitate offline listening.
The free version will be supported by audio advertising, in-stream native ads, promoted profiles and creator partnerships, the company says.
SoundCloud, which launched in 2008, has long been a favourite of emerging and unsigned bands and DJs looking for an online home for their music, and its embeddable widgets have been dotted among tastemaker blogs for years.
Recently, though, more high profile acts have used it to premiere music.
While the company was valued at $700 million in 2014, it's only recently attempted to monetise its catalogue and user base.
How it fares in an increasingly crowded market, dominated by Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal, which number tens of millions of subscribers between them, remains to be seen.
However, SoundCloud's Alexander Ljung remains bullish. In an interview with the BBC he pointed to the platform's usability for musicians as a key selling point.
"For artists generally, one of the things that's special about SoundCloud is they have their own account, which they control," he said.
"So that's led to a different degree of authenticity. If they have an idea they went to get out to the world, a bit like Twitter, they can publish it instantly. That's become a really powerful way for artists to connect to fans. They can't really do that anywhere else."
He also promised "more territories coming soon" as SoundCloud Go aims to launch in more countries. The company couldn't provide any figures for subscription take-up in the U.S. to Mashable on Tuesday.
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
