Soundcloud has always been a fundamental service for EDM fans, artists and networks. The orange website during the years gained millions of users, becoming one of the most important streaming services in the world. However, especially during 2017, financial problems, new rivals and various facts had exposed its problems.

Problems that, even if at first weren’t serious, have reached a point that made me decide to stop believing in Soundcloud. Problems that exists since the beginning and they still aren’t solved. In this little outburst, I will present them, while talking about my two main personal alternatives, Spotify (for mobile) and Fanburst (for web). YouTube is not considered here: even if relevant for the industry, it’s more focused on videos.

1. Soundcloud Transparency?

This is the most annoying point. Nowadays, the network system of Soundcloud is endangered by the easy way to add fake plays/stats to a song. Various tracks have been boosted with illicit ways, making people doubt about various streaming results. The non-transparency of the site doesn’t help the situation, making difficult any statistic analysis. Socials like Instagram and Youtube have even various external useful analyzing sites like Socialblade, or Spotify has Spotontrack. Soundcloud? Absolutely anything.
This is mainly an ethical problem, but it needs to be stopped, because transparency is becoming fundamental.
The progressive decreasing of Soundcloud users made this fact serious, because some networks need to keep the stats constant, adding fake plays when necessary.

2. Download gates

A lot of people hates download gates. Even if for artists are fundamental, we reached a point where the system became exaggerate. For the same reason (less active users), gates switched from just reposting and following the artists to a long list of things to do. Now, for a single download there are often 10+ accounts to follow, other tracks to like and share, plus of course, like, repost and comment the release.
In addition, this system is not working on mobile. A serious issue, still not resolved, that makes necessary to use a pc for a download.
Highly annoying, in my personal opinion… Especially when all the rivals offer downloads with a simple click (like Spotify Premium, Fanburst or Mixcloud).

3. Labels’ abandonment

That’s a new problem, and probably the most important on a global scale. EDM labels are not using Soundcloud anymore, sending people to stores or Spotify instead. Usually, waiting some hours before posting on Soundcloud. This abandonment, caused by the problems I’m explaining and by the important fact that Spotify and the stores give earnings to the label, is quickly destroying the Soundcloud active fanbase. Some releases are not even published there, making Soundcloud weaker in terms of music offered.

An easy example is Martin Garrix, the current number one if the top 100 DJs chart: the Dutch producer doesn’t include Soundcloud is his download links, or, for example, avoided posting his collab “Forever” on his profile. We are talking about the most important artist out there: how many people are following his example?

4. Staticness during the years

This is a complex point. In few words, Soundcloud during the years didn’t evolve. All the little minor problems, like the chat system, the chance of listening to private songs on mobile, copyright aggressive strikes, the undeveloped social part, are still here.

Rivals like Spotify or Fanburst are continuously adding features for being more interesting to users… While Soundcloud, unfortunately, keeps being the same.

5. Upload space

That’s a more economical point. Soundcloud offers limited space for free, then asking for a monthly premium account. The rivals, with the new technologies, nowadays offer more space before asking for a payment. Fanburst and Mixcloud for example, are even completely free. If we consider the main purpose of Soundcloud, which is a music storing cloud, the prices are too high compared to the competitors.

Those are five reasons why I’m not believing in Soundcloud anymore. Obviously, this is my personal opinion, but those problems do exist.

Our main alternatives are Spotify, with its indisputable features, like the monetisation (like Youtube), and a new rival of the scene, Fanburst.

Fanburst is a pretty interesting streaming service. Fast, with a good design and a mobile app almost developed. Apart from unlimited music space for free, Fanburst offers a system of “sharing with commenting” on your profile, basically creating a sort of “musical diary”.
From people like us, that reposts songs with a meaning and maybe a message to add, this is the point of strength of the site.
The chances of creating a community, which is the main Spotify problem (it’s missing it) are high. Fanburst is still in development, but we will easily bet a penny on their future. It’s already utilized by various artists (like Timmy Trumpet, for example) and by us, of course! This and Spotify, for me, are the main alternatives to the dying Soundcloud.

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