Entering the SoundCloud

Entering the

SOUNDCLOUD

The first step into the music industry shapes the next generation of artists

Photos by Hayes Gaboury

Gracia Shao-Xue and Austin Li

Sixty-one weeks.

That's how long R&B artist Post Malone's hit song "Circles" was on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. In fact, this is just one in 11 of his songs to reach top 10 on the chart. "Circles" has over 2 billion plays and proves Malone to be one of the most successful artists in recent years.

However, his rise to fame didn't happen overnight. Starting in 2011, Malone had begun producing and uploading music onto SoundCloud.

Although he consistently created music, Malone struggled to attract an audience. It wasn't until he released "White Iverson" on SoundCloud in 2015 that his career began to pick up. The song was instantly successful, eclipsing over 20 million streams on the platform in the first two months.

However, in spite of SoundCloud's contribution to the careers of many top artists, some people have little knowledge of what it is.

SoundCloud is an audio distribution and music-sharing platform founded in 2007 by Swedish sound designer Alexander Ljung and electronic musician Eric Wahlforss. It prioritizes an artist-first relationship and is powered by a global community of both artists and listeners seeking new trends in music culture.

Over the years, SoundCloud has tailored its platform to empower independent artists with tools, services, and resources so they can build successful careers. SoundCloud's specs for aspiring artists have significantly influenced its ability to grow as a music platform.

Every year since its launch, the platform has seen a substantial increase in listeners, artists, and revenue. Starting with 125 million users in 2012, SoundCloud has grown to host over 175 million users per month.

What attracts many is the plethora of music selections available. With over 150 million tracks, music lovers can constantly find new music from smaller artists whose songs become popular hits over time.

“I love using Soundcloud to listen to music because there are songs that aren’t released on Spotify. It gives me access to more underground and unknown music. Sometimes the trendy TikTok songs on Apple Music and Spotify get repetitive and I prefer less mainstream

music,” said Mariana Panisset, a junior at Carlmont High School.

SoundCloud users like Panisset allow creators to become overnight sensations. In fact, some of today's top artists– Lil Uzi Vert, Chance the Rapper, Bad Bunny, and Lizzo– started their careers on the platform.

For example, Uzi Vert's iconic "Luv Is Rage" album first dropped on SoundCloud in February 2015. The album featured popular songs such as "XO Tour Llif3," which quickly reached over 70 million plays. Chance the Rapper is another example, as he hit 1 billion streams in 2019.

The success of these prominent figures has impassioned others to follow in their footsteps. More and more aspiring artists are choosing to jumpstart their careers on SoundCloud, and it has developed into a hub for small artists and those looking to dabble in the music industry.

Drawn by the community and social networking opportunities SoundCloud offers, many small but passionate artists have also emerged from younger generations. These include Carlmont High School students Zane Tanabe, Salvatore Napizia, and Ryan Jocson.

Jocson began his music career years ago after seeing his older brother upload songs onto SoundCloud. To him, music served as a way to express himself and tap into his creative talents. "I started making music during quarantine when I had free time. It gave me an outlet to express myself while stuck at home for hours on end. I immersed myself into the SoundCloud community and quickly made friends and connections," Jocson said.

Like Jocson, Tanabe began his music career out of boredom in his free time. "I love rap, and I really got into it over the past few years. In general, my friend and I started making music just for fun over the summer,” Tanabe said.

However, as he began to produce more music and immerse himself in the industry, his passion grew, and he hopes to "get more into the business side [of the music industry]."

Since starting, Tanabe has uploaded more than four songs, gaining hundreds of plays.

While Tanabe has hopes of pursuing a career in music, Napizia only started uploading to SoundCloud because he enjoys listening to music. "It lets people be creative and experiment, and that's why I love the fact that you can listen to so many different genres [on SoundCloud]," Napizia said.

Initial steps into the music industry come with ease when using the platform. Jocson reflects on his experience when first starting. "One of the major reasons why I chose to upload [my music] onto SoundCloud is because it has solidified itself as one of the more successful music platforms. I knew that I could quickly access a community of aspiring artists with goals similar to mine and reach an audience," Jocson said.

Ultimately, although apps like Spotify and Apple Music have eclipsed SoundCloud in recent years, it is essential to recognize SoundCloud's contributions to the world of music. As the platform responsible for significant cultural changes in the music industry, SoundCloud will forever be considered one of the most influential and revolutionary music platforms of the 21st century.

"SoundCloud is an easy app to use, and anyone can upload music there. Tracks on SoundCloud also spread more easily because other people can repost them."

– Zane Tanabe

Ryan Jocson

Grade: Senior SoundCloud: Martin$

Zane Tanabe

Grade: Junior SoundCloud: Young Zany

Salvatore Napizia

Grade: Junior SoundCloud: LilSal