SoundCloud continues its firm pivot back towards creator tools and direct relationships with artists. The latest news is a slate of what the company is describing as “A&R partnerships” to “develop a new roster of promising independent artists”. Those partners include songwriter and producer Linda Perry; Nappy Boy Entertainment (artist T-Pain’s company); management firm CAD Management; and ‘multimedia music platform’ UVC.
This all ties in to SoundCloud’s distribution arm Repost, which it says will “work directly with each partner to develop tailor-made marketing and distribution plans to support breaking artists and help them grow their careers on and off SoundCloud”.
It’s one of the interesting differences, mainly down to its historical focus and structure, between SoundCloud and other big audio streaming services. It can double down on its work direct with artists in ways that would (and, indeed, have in the past) cause an almighty rumpus with rightsholders if it were Spotify.
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