SoundCloud Adds Explore With Trending Music and Lean Back Discovery
Yesterday SoundCloud introduced Explore, a discovery feature that should help connect more listeners with artists using SoundCloud though a more prominent homepage position would be a nice touch. It's available on the web and on SoundCloud's Android app. No word yet on iOS availability but their iTunes listing promises "bigger updates" than their recent design refresh.
To be honest, I've been checking out music on SoundCloud for what feels like a long time, at least in internet years, but I've never thought of it as a place to discover new music. The discovery happens on blogs and other external sites where SoundCloud happens and then in the related channel where I then seek out similar tracks but the external discovery has always been at the heart of the experience for me.
So their new Explore feature, also available on their Android app, feels like a long overdue touch.
Explore offers:
trending streams for both music and audio
trending streams organized by genre
lean back listening by simply pushing play from the main stream or genre stream
Explore is a great look for SoundCloud which is not just an indispensable service for so many artists but increasingly a key part of music's infrastructure on the web and mobile.
Additional SoundCloud Resources
SoundCloud also integrated Instagram to make it even easier to "add your favorite photos to your SoundCloud posts and profile."
You can now "Make A Playlist During Upload."
For an overview of using SoundCloud plus other industry info, check out Budi Voogt's The SoundCloud Bible.
More:
- Soundcloud Turns 5, Artists Share How It's Changed Their Lives
- 5 Ways To Promote Your Music With SoundCloud
- Hootsuite Adds SoundCloud App For Listening To, Posting and Sharing Music
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is building a writing hub at Flux Research. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
SoundCloud Explore was launched in January. Sorry it took you so long to find it, but welcome.
I guess they were a bit misleading then:
http://blog.soundcloud.com/2013/11/22/hear-whats-happening-the-new-explore/
Or you could be making it up Mr. “so sure of yourself you have to be anonymous guy!”