20 Things You Didn't Know About SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a startup that specializes in the online distribution of audio products. It is a music-sharing website that provides products and services for users who wish to upload, share and promote their audio projects. The company has grown to become one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the world. SoundCloud is a leader in the audio streaming and music uploading industry. Instead of being a disruptor in the industry it is a trendsetter. If you're not yet familiar with this company, here are 20 things you probably didn't know about SoundCloud that might inspire you to check it out.

1. SoundCloud is Swedish and German in origin

Although this might sound a bit confusing, Soundcloud is often referred to as a Swedish company because its founder is a Swedish citizen. According to Wikipedia, SoundCloud was officially launched in Berlin, Germany in August of 2007. Even though it was designed and launched by a Swedish person, the company is still German in its origin with its headquarters located in Berlin.

2. SoundCloud dates back to the MySpace Era

SoundCloud was founded in August of 2007, but it didn't officially launch until October of 2008. It became a popular platform for musicians to collaborate and share discussions about their recordings. It later evolved into a publishing tool that allowed for the distribution of music. It grew so large that it challenged the dominance of MySpace, which has since seen a mass exodus of users. SoundCloud has been around for a while and it continues to grow as a dominant presence in the digital recording industry.

3. Some of SoundCloud's services are free

Part of the raging success and popularity of SoundCloud is because the platform is available to everyone. You don't have to pay a subscription fee to listen to streaming music. You can also upload up to 180 minutes of audio to your profile without incurring a cost. You can listen to an unlimited amount of audio. Unless you plan to upload a lot of audio projects, you can use the service without any cost whatsoever. This is attractive to people who like to dabble in music or who simply like to stream their favorite songs. You are required to register on the site, however. There are different tiers of membership with their respective privileges.

4. SoundCloud Go is a premium service through the company

Members may upgrade their membership from free to a paid subscription service with a few different tiers. SoundCloud Go is a service that was offered in March of 2016 and is still available at the present. The service allows for unlimited streaming of songs you want to listen to. The outstanding part of this service is that it is ad-free. Your enjoyment of audio will not be interrupted by advertisements. Other features include offline playback for licensed music and access to a larger library of songs than most of its competition. Charges for subscriptions started at $10 per month with a Go+ option offered as a secondary their of option for $5 without licensed library access, but ad-free listening and offline playback features for a lower price.

5. SoundCloud Pro is a premium service

SoundCloud offers SoundCloud Pro as its best premiums subscription service. The Pro version provides registered subscribers with uploads of up to six hours of audio with enhanced analytics, and the choice to disable comments on tracks. You can upgrade to Pro Unlimited for unlimited audio uploads.

6. SoundCloud is progressive

SoundCloud is a progressive technology company that continues to upgrade its products and services to keep up with the demands of the public for more innovative technology solutions and convenience-based services. SoundCloud offers two mobile apps. The first is the SoundCloud app that is designed for users who enjoy streaming audio. It provides music discovery, sharing, and playlist features. A second mobile app was developed called SoundCloud Pulse. This app is designed for use with iOS and Android devices. It's an app that is the most suitable for content creators who wish to upload as well as manage their content, view their stats, and reply to comments through the convenience of a mobile app.

7. SoundCloud is a versatile enterprise

According to Crunchbase, SoundCloud is listed across five industries on the world wide web. It falls under the categories of music, music streaming, independent music, audio, and apps. SoundCloud provides its clients with a wide range of products and services related to music and audio recording and streaming.

8. SoundCloud uses a complex array of technologies for its website

The SoundCloud website is powered by a complicated collection of technologies. The site actively uses 130 technologies to provide users with smooth and seamless experiences. These technologies are distributed across 79 technology products and services. Some of them include jQuery, Google Analytics, HTML5, Google Font API, Viewport Meta, iPhone Mobile Compatible, and dozens of others.

9. SoundCloud has a moderate IT budget

We also learned that SoundCloud has a surprisingly low budget for IT for 2021. While some companies spend hundreds of thousands to over a million on IT annually, shockingly, the estimated budget for SoundCloud is a mere $11.4 thousand. We'd like to know their secret as the high number of technologies translated into products and services is massive. They are doing something right to keep their annual IT costs at such a reasonable rate.

10. SoundCloud has a healthy download rate

The analytics report for SoundCloud shows that in the last thirty days, there have been millions of downloads. Based on the information, a total of 4,748,871 downloads were completed. This translates into a monthly download growth rate of 7.69 percent over the previous month. It would appear that SoundCloud's products and services are reaching an all-time high in their popularity. The most popular apps being downloaded are SoundCloud-Music & Songs, SoundCloud for Chromebooks, and SoundCloud Pulse. They're most commonly downloaded through Google Play and Itunes Connect.

11. SoundCloud maintains an edge over its competition

SoundCloud maintains a uniqueness when compared to other companies in the same industry. This is because it has secured one registered trademark in the advertising business category. Trademarks on intellectual property prevent anyone from imitating, copying, or using the intellectual property without the express written consent from SoundCloud. No other provider can do it quite the same way as SoundCloud. They are in some sense, unimitable.

12. SoundCloud's website has a high traffic volume

The analytics maintained for the SoundCloud website shows that the level of engagement with the public is astronomically high. The data confirms that there have been a total of 84,138,914 monthly visits over the past 30 days. This gives SoundCloud a ranking of number 434 of the millions of websites registered on the world wide web. They are one of the largest websites ranked by visitor traffic volume in the entire world presently.

13. SoundCloud is the most popular in the United States

Although SoundCloud is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, the largest number of monthly visitors comes from the United States. Forty-five percent of the web traffic is from this country. Six percent of the web traffic is from the United Kingdom. Five percent of all visitors are from Germany. Three percent of the visitors are from France, and three percent are from The Netherlands. This is useful information that helps key decision-makers at SoundCloud to know where there is the greatest interest in their products and services. It's useful to have the information on hand when it's time for strategic planning for growth, expansion, and marketing campaigns.

14. SoundCloud has a core executive leadership team of 8

SoundCloud is run by a core executive leadership team of 8 members. Alexander Ljung is the founder and chief executive officer. Mike Weissman is president and chief executive officer. Jake Maizel is the vice president of infrastructure and core technology. Julio Zynger is a software engineer. Tiffany Conroy is the head of the engineering, growth, and commerce group. Danny Preussler is the Android engineer of connected devices. Scott Muc is the backend engineer. Emma Young is the senior global public relations manager. The core team is supported by 10 other employees.

15. SoundCloud has a 7-member board of directors

The board of directors for SoundCloud is composed of seven members. Kerry Trainor joined the board of directors in August of 2017. He has founded one organization and currently serves on three boards of directors in advisory roles. Joe Puthenveetil joined the board in August 2017. He is a managing director of The Raine Group and currently serves in one advisory role. Fred Davis is a partner at The Raine Group and currently serves on one board of directors in an advisory role. Christophe Maire joined the board on August 1, 2017. He is the CEO and founder of Atlantic Labs with 19 portfolio companies and 5 exits. Mary Meeker joined the board as an observer on December 25, 2011. She is a managing partner at Bond with one portfolio company. She currently serves on 10 boards of directors in advisory roles. Mike Volpi joined the board in June of 2010. He is a partner at Index Ventures with one portfolio company and one exit. Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss joined the board as an advisor on January 24, 2019. He is an investor with 15 portfolio companies and 5 exits.

16. SoundCloud is supported by corporate funding

SoundCloud has participated in ten rounds of corporate fundraising. The most recent round closed on February 11, 2020. The total amount raised is $542.8 million. The most recent investors to join in fundraising efforts are Temasek Holdings and Sirius XM.

17. SoundCloud has high investor confidence

SoundCloud has attracted the interest and participation of 18 private investors. In addition to Temasek Holdings and Sirius XM, It is supported by investments from The Raine Group, a lead investor, Kreos Capital, Davidson Technology Growth Debt Fund, Ares Capital Corporation, Institutional Venture Partners, Twitter Ventures, also a lead investor, Tennenbaum Capital Partners, a lead investor, Index Ventures, and several other anonymous private corporate investors. The company has the necessary support to continue its growth, expansion, and development of updates in its products and services for customers.

18. SoundCloud acquired Instinctiv

SoundCloud made its first acquisition on June 5, 2012. It acquired a company called Instinctive. Instinctiv is a discover app, It syncs the music library of users to their mobile phone or desktop computer. The company is headquartered in New York, New York. Before its acquisition by SoundCloud, Instinctiv received funding for $1.4 million.

19. SoundCloud acquired Repost Network

Soundcloud acquired a company named Repost Network on May 23, 2019. The total amount of the acquisition has not been disclosed. Repost Network is a Los Angeles, California-based company that operates as a focused music distributor that helps creators to earn a living through their online audiences. Before its acquisition by SoundCloud, Repost Network made two acquisitions of its own. The two acquisitions made by SoundCloud are part of its strategic plan for growth and expansion.

20. SoundCloud is currently hiring

According to its LinkedIn profile page, SoundCloud is currently hiring. The company has listed 47 job openings. The company has posted job openings for positions near its main headquarters in Berlin, Germany. It has also opted jobs av available in two regions of the United States. It appears that the company is expanding its presence in the United States. Jobs are open in New York, New York, and Los Angeles, California. SoundCloud is still on the love and growing and expanding. It's a company to keep your eye on. Although you won't find shares of SoundCloud stock available for sale or trade on any of the public stock exchanges, you never know when they may decide to take the company to the public arena. SoundCloud is the largest company of its kind in the world today.