2021 is shaping up as a highly interesting year for streaming service (turned distributor) SoundCloud. First hints that it could be mulling user-centric payouts in some form, and now news that it has added Q&A boss Troy Carter to its board of directors.
SoundCloud says Carter will be advising the company on “all topics across the music industry including new business models, artist development, and artist services”.
His history at Spotify, and his current work at Q&A will both come in handy there. But what about those user-centric rumours? SoundCloud’s VP for content partnerships Raoul Chatterjee was asked about them yesterday, when he appeared before the UK parliamentary inquiry into streaming economics. He was distinctly careful in his response. “It’s definitely an interesting area, and as an artist-first platform we’re always looking for ways to make payouts to artists fairer,” he said. “But the whole investigation into user-centric is a very detailed and complex investigation that needs to be taken. It’s one potential path we’re exploring… and it would require industry-wide conversations and support to be impactful.”
Image by Adao / Shutterstock.com
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