EOTO Project: SoundCloud

After I was given an assignment to research a technology that has heavily impacted our society, I chose to look into one of my favorite platforms known as SoundCloud. In short, SoundCloud is a music platform that gives aspiring musicians the ability to share their music to the public all over the world. SoundCloud is not only used for music, but it can also be used for podcasts or other elements of audio. It can even be used just for the sake of streaming your favorite music with no charge to a certain extent. 

To provide a little background on SoundCloud's history, it first established in 2007 after being founded by two Swedish individuals named Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss. Though the two founders are from Sweden, the platform's headquarters is actually located in Berlin, Germany where the platform officially launched in October 2008. When the founders thought of the idea of SoundCloud, they wanted a music streaming platform that would allow users to upload their music and connect with other musicians through it. That’s exactly what the platform has become. As cool as SoundCloud sounds, there are some pros and cons that come with it. As one could expect with every form of technology. Pros Firstly, SoundCloud has always given people the ability to share their music publicly. This can be good for starting musicians who are hoping to get a little exposure to help them boost their career. Even if they are doing what they do just for fun. Secondly, users are able to stream any kind of music that has been uploaded to a certain extent. Even if you don't have an account, you can still stream your favorite music. On top of that, users can even make their own playlists if they wish. Which is a great feature in itself. Finally, one of the best features of SoundCloud is that it is a great way for aspiring musicians to connect with other musicians. In addition, SoundCloud gives users the ability to favorite, comment, or repost on their favorite track. As well as even being able to direct message other musicians in the hopes of possibly working with them in the future. Cons

While most music can be streamed for absolutely free, unfortunately some songs require a paid subscription to listen to. For example, some mainstream artists have only allowed their songs to be streamed by people who are subscribed to a monthly fee called SoundCloud Go+. In other words, standard users cannot listen to certain songs if they are not upgraded to SoundCloud Go+. Users without SoundCloud Go+ are also affected in terms of upload time. For example, SoundCloud Go+ grants users the ability to have unlimited upload time, but if you are a standard user you are only allowed to have upload time of three hours maximum. This can be a huge let down for most creators. Especially for people who make podcasts which might take up two hours within one upload. With that being said, if you want unlimited upload time, you'll have to make the sacrifice of paying a monthly fee of $12. The final downside of SoundCloud is that it is not copyright friendly. That means if a user uploads anything with copyrighted material, they are at risk of having their content removed which is quite a common thing. While it is understandable that SoundCloud is strict on copyright, it is still a bit of a let down to most users. Overall, as an individual who uses SoundCloud a lot, I think the platform is one of the greatest things that has happened in society. Especially for people in the music industry. Regardless of the cons, I think it is fair to say that they are outnumbered by the pros. History of SoundCloud: https://successstory.com/companies/soundcloud#:~:text=SoundCloud%20was%20founded%20in%20Stockholm,images%2C%20and%20vimeo%20for%20videos. Pros and Cons of SoundCloud: https://dinamudara.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/89/