SoundCloud is moving into a new realm by incorporating social features that expand the interactivity and community aspect of the music streaming experience. Long known for being principally loyal to independent musicians and unique remixes, the site is additionally advocating user interaction through music by highlighting friends’ and preferred artists’ tastes.
The new angle makes SoundCloud poised to transform into a personalized social network specifically for music aficionados, beyond being classified as simply a streaming site.
The most recent update boasts several features that lead up to collective musical experiences. One such prominent enhancement is the Liked by your crew feature, which displays a daily updated playlist of songs that their friends and followed artists enjoyed.
It is featured on the home page, thereby providing the user with an at a glance view of trending options within their friend’s circle. This easy feature transforms listening into a communal experience, thereby making music discovery that much more personal and engaging.
As compared to algorithmic suggestions, the user is thereby provided with the opportunity to find music through the endorsements of individuals they admire and trust.
One unique attribute named Liked by playlists brings together playlists created based on the tastes of acquaintances or favorite artists. It is offered in the format of a scrollable carousel, whereby the user enjoys a continuous stream of new and relevant songs. It is a handy way of staying up to date with trending music among people in one’s own network without extensive searching.
As a whole, these features aim at increasing the vibrancy and connectedness of. SoundCloud, advocating for music exploration based on social relationships rather than random suggestions.
SoundCloud has recently launched an innovative feature known as the Trending Track wall which showcases popular songs that are presently gaining attention on the platform. This feature encompasses filters that assist users in locating specific genres or moods without the necessity of sifting through numerous playlists.
The inclusion of this functionality imparts a contemporary and revitalized aesthetic to SoundCloud, thereby facilitating listeners’ discovery of trending songs that align with their preferences.
Through the implementation of these tools, SoundCloud is integrating social interaction with the discovery process, potentially encouraging users to invest more time in exploration and engagement.
Within the mobile environment, SoundCloud is supplementing its features with distinctive functions. The first called Hot for you offers a daily personalized recommendation that picks a trending song based on individual listening habits. This simple feature injects a touch of personalization that gives a sense of being understood amongst the user base.
The next mobile-exclusive feature is a recommendation to follow that includes users sharing similar musical tastes, artists that would suit the user, and even friends from real life that would also be enthusiasts. It comes in the form of a carousel on the home page, making it easy for relationships to happen and build community.
These recent enhancements definitely indicate efforts by SoundCloud to further the site’s social aspects. This is all the more intelligent considering the rising saturation of the music streaming sector.
As we can witness here for instance with Spotify’s recent introduction of a direct message feature that enables individuals to send one another playlists as well as tracks, SoundCloud is moving beyond parity by aligning with natural strengths i.e., its user and artist base that in turn shares and discovers new tunes by default.
This new plan could bring some of that old enthusiasm back to SoundCloud. The site was once distinctive for enabling artists to reach their listeners directly but it was then overwhelmed by larger sites. If it emphasizes that sense of community then it may appeal to the younger generations who would rather engage with interactive communal applications.
By and large these adjustments also represent a great shift for SoundCloud. The site is no longer just about enabling song streaming but enabling interpersonal relationships through music.
Through features such as Liked by your crew Liked by playlists and Hot for you the app is steadily becoming a space where the experience of listening is personal as well as social.
As significant as music is in present online culture, the move of SoundCloud in the direction of community driven features can give it the much required push to recover its uniqueness.
