Soundcloud is Here to Stay. Good.

When Soundcloud announced that it didn’t have enough funding to survive the year most of us music addicts were scared. As a blogger and creator of SYS I was especially afraid. We looked at alternatives and thought where else would we be able to find niche, underground artists? (Soundcloud announced it is, in fact, staying online.)

The options were looking pretty bleak, streaming sites such as Spotify, iTunes and TIDAL didn’t really appeal to us. Maybe it’s because Soundcloud was so indie artist friendly, the fact that anyone who created music could upload their track and see how it could grow. 

Soundcloud had no stigma attached to it, just like YouTube, it’s a bunch of musicians/artists that mostly just want their music heard and profiting from it isn’t the main goal. It’s all about exposure and getting their music out there. 

Musicians such as Post Malone, Don Monique, Kehlani and Bryson Tiller to name a few are many artists’ who started from Soundcloud and have managed to hit international success. Taking internet musician stardom to another level. 

It’s the greatest artist experiment in history, any emerging artist is one-click away from stardom. With the internet being so easily accessible, musicians no longer have to go to the big city and ‘make it.’ All they have to do now, is sign up to an account and upload their track and see the results roll in. 

Of course it isn’t all that simple, however creating an account or presence online is the first step. One that many musicians are still afraid of. Musicians don’t even need managers or record labels anymore like they used to. They can manage their own music, chat to their fans directly online and build their audience that way. Without leaving the comfort of their home and or better yet having to even see their fans. 

It’s the new generation of rising stars, while stardom may seem like a click away there are many scary aspects that come into it. Many artists’ are still afraid to put their music online, in fear that it is not good enough. Sure, the online world could make you but it can also break you. The repercussions can be down-right frightening. Could you imagine Donald Trump as an artist with his Twitter wars? There is no way his music would see the light of day due to all the negative press he gets. One negative comment could put you back in your cave, hiding from the world behind your screen. But that’s exactly it, if you release music behind the screen, then getting negative feedback, or any feedback at all online is surely better than feedback on stage at an empty bar. 

The rise of artists would not be possible without the likes of Soundcloud and one of our personal favourites Bandcamp. Self-made independent artists’ are more successful and more in control of their musical career than they would be if they were signed to a record label. Gone are the days of the predecessors dictating musicians on what they can and can’t do. It’s the magic of the online world that truly let’s us be our true selves.