New service offers expanded catalogue of established and emerging artists plus an ad-free listening experience you can take offline
SoundCloud, the world’s largest music and audio platform, announced today the launch of its new consumer subscription service, SoundCloud Go in Canada. SoundCloud Go gives music fans an expanded catalogue of more than 135 million tracks with intuitive supporting features created to complement and enhance the existing SoundCloud experience.
- Access to a significantly expanded catalogue of the greatest established and hottest emerging artists.
- On the train or off the grid, offline listening allows you to take your music with you wherever you go.
SoundCloud Go is available in Canada on web, iOS App Store and Google Play, and priced at CDN$9.99 per month, with a free 30-day trial. iOS users can avoid the App Store surcharge (CDN $13.99) by visiting soundcloud.com/go instead.
“SoundCloud Go will provide Canadians with the largest and most diverse music and audio catalogue in the world,” said Alexander Ljung, SoundCloud co-founder and CEO. “Subscribers will be able to enjoy tracks from emerging creators, new tracks from indies, global hits as well as hits in the making, all in one place. We know Canadians are passionate about their music so we’re very much looking forward to rolling out this new experience across the country.”
The free service listeners love today will remain and will now be supported by a range of advertising options as part of SoundCloud’s commitment to creators to have the opportunity to be paid for the work they share.
Additionally, in line with today’s launch, SoundCloud has reached agreements with SOCAN and CMRRA-SODRAC Inc.
(CSI) that will enable new creative, commercial and promotional opportunities for their artists, songwriters composers and music publishers in Canada. This includes providing SOCAN and CSI’s members and clients with the opportunity to generate revenue when their work is played on the platform.
SoundCloud’s free service will be supported by audio advertising, in-stream native ads, video ads available in both the horizontal and vertical video formats, promoted profiles, creator partnerships, and more. All are designed to fit seamlessly into the SoundCloud experience and to provide brands with a variety of ways to reach a new, highly engaged audience. The introduction of advertising will ensure listeners can continue to experience SoundCloud for free, as well as offer creators the opportunity to be paid for the work they share. SoundCloud Go subscribers will be able to opt out of these ads, enjoying uninterrupted listening as part of the service.
Currently available in the US, UK, Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand, SoundCloud Go is now available in Canada through SoundCloud’s existing apps on the iOS App Store and Google Play, as well as through the web at soundcloud.com, with further international roll out to follow this year. Subscribers can enjoy a 30-day free trial (excludes subscribers in Quebec), after which a CDN$9.99 monthly subscription fee will apply. For all active Pro Unlimited creator subscribers, a discounted rate of CDN$1.99 will apply.
The introduction of SoundCloud Go is the next significant step in the evolution of SoundCloud’s unique music ecosystem. In August 2014, the company launched its advertising program in the US to ensure its community of creators have the opportunity to earn money for the work they share with the world, and now with the addition of listener subscriptions, SoundCloud continues to build the most progressive artist remuneration system in the world. Through partnering with the rest of the music industry, and thanks to its unrivalled position in the music streaming space, SoundCloud has made huge strides towards a unique system where all forms of creative expression - from classic tracks to new remixes - can thrive, while ensuring rights holders are fairly respected and compensated for their work. For more information go to: https://soundcloud.com/go
SoundCloud, the world’s largest music and audio platform, launched in 2008 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, lets people discover and enjoy the largest selection of music from the world’s most diverse creator community. SoundCloud is renowned for the unique content and features including the ability to share music and connect directly with artists, as well as unearth breakthrough tracks, raw demos, podcasts and more. This is made possible by an open platform that directly connects creators and their fans across the globe. Music and audio creators can use the platform to instantly share their content with a global audience, as well as receive detailed stats and feedback from the SoundCloud community. For more information, go to: (http://soundcloud.com/).
SOCAN is a member-based organization that represents the Canadian performing rights of more than four-million Canadian and international music creators and publishers. SOCAN is proud to play a leading role in supporting the long-term success of its nearly 140,000 Canadian members, and the Canadian music ecosystem overall. SOCAN licenses more than 130,000 businesses in Canada, and distributes royalties to its members and music rights organizations around the world. SOCAN also distributes royalties to its members for the use of their music internationally in collaboration with its peer societies. www.socan.ca
CSI is a joint venture of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) and the Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada (SODRAC). CSI licenses the reproduction rights in the joint repertoire of CMRRA and SODRAC to various music users, including radio stations, background music services and online music services. Together, CMRRA and SODRAC represent the vast majority of songwriters and music publishers whose songs are active in the Canadian market place.
About SoundCloud
SoundCloud empowers artists and fans to connect and share through music. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud is an artist-first platform empowering artists to build and grow their careers by providing them with the most progressive tools, services, and resources. With over 400+ million tracks from 40+ million artists, the future of music is SoundCloud.