SoundCloud signs royalty agreement with Merlin to gain access to 20,000 indie labels

SoundCloud you probably heard of or are already using but we’re sure Merlin might be a new name to you. Merlin works with 20,000 indie labels and distributors to work out licensing and loyalty deals, which is what they’ve done with SoundCloud. This will bring labels like Beggars Group (Vampire Weekend), Domino (Animal Collective), Secretly Group (Bon Iver), Kontor Records (Tiësto), and a lot more to SoundCloud’s streaming service. These musicians will also be offered compensation when you play their music.

SoundCloud already has a deal with Warner Music Group and is rumoured to unveil its own streaming service this year. They‘re still, however, having a tough time convincing Sony and Universal to join because the site also hosts copyrighted material without permission. We’re going to have to watch and see if this plan will push through and if they can provide a better alternative to streaming options we have out at the moment.

Source: SoundCloud | Via: Engadget

Beatport brings EDM lovers together on mobile

Are you a fan of electronic dance music? Beatport has just introduced a new hub for EDM into Google’s and Apple’s mobile platforms. This coincides with the recent launch of their free streaming service. Beatport’s aim for this app is to make it the top destination of both fans and DJs who need to stock up on tracks. You can stream your favourite songs on there for free. It also features a calendar of EDM events and built-in ticket purchasing capability.

Source: Digital Trends + Android Central | Download: Google Play Store (Free) + Apple iTunes App Store (Free)

Apple to reportedly release streaming music service in the coming months

Spotify’s newest competitor might be making its debut soon. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is reportedly prepping its Beats-based streaming music service for an official launch. The Cupertino-based brand is said to be working on iOS 8.4, a software update that will be released after Apple Watch goes on sale in April, and the company is “currently considering” using that update to include its music service. 9to5Mac previously reported that the service might cost US$7.99 a month and it would be integrated into iPhone’s music but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. There will reportedly be an Android version of the app as well. Again take these rumours with a grain of salt. But if there is any truth to it, we’d finally see fruits of Apple’s $3 billion purchase of Beats.

Source: 9to5Mac

SoundCloud introduces new hub to centralize your favorite tunes

Taking one more step to developing its own subscription service, SoundCloud introduced a new interface to make the service work. Its new hub called Collection has been brought to iOS and web apps (Android version is coming in 2015). It is designed to bring all your favorite audio in one place. The Collection shows you the artists you follow and liked tracks and playlists without having to jump between sections. It’ll let you shuffle your favorite songs and find out if a new DJ mix or radio show pops up.

Source: SoundCloud | Via: Engadget