Eliah Seton, CEO of SoundCloud and former President of the company, discusses SoundCloud's future potential, including a possible sale or IPO. SoundCloud is a platform with 400 million tracks, supporting creators and engaging fans. The podcast explores SoundCloud's unique position in the music industry and its focus on monetizing fan engagement and artist support.
SoundCloud is heading towards a financial event like a sale or IPO due to recent investments.
SoundCloud operates as a two-sided platform connecting millions of creators with hundreds of millions of fans.
Deep dives
SoundCloud's Unique Position in the Music Industry
SoundCloud differentiates itself by connecting artists and fans directly, serving as a two-sided platform exclusively for music. This direct connection allows for engagement between hundreds of millions of fans and millions of creators each day, a unique proposition in the music business landscape.
SoundCloud's Business Segments: Fan and Creator Focus
SoundCloud operates within two distinct business segments: the fan business, offering ad-supported and subscription services globally with 400 million tracks, and the creator business, serving millions of creators looking to engage their fan base directly and find new fans through subscriptions and distribution on the platform.
AI's Role in Music Creation and SoundCloud's Approach
SoundCloud embraces AI tools for music creation and discovery, aiming to empower creators and delight fans. By leveraging AI capabilities acquired from Museo, SoundCloud enhances music exploration and artist discovery while respecting rights holders and collaborating with companies like Soundfall and Fader.
Redefining Royalty Models with SoundCloud's Fan-Powered Royalties
SoundCloud pioneers Fan-Powered Royalties, a unique model that divides fan subscriptions based on artists they listen to, ensuring fair payments and transparency. By focusing on monetizing fan engagement and artist-fan relationships, SoundCloud strives to innovate beyond traditional streaming models to support both artists and fans.
On the latest Music Business Worldwide podcast, MBW founder Tim Ingham is joined by Eliah Seton, the CEO of SoundCloud.
Seton (pictured) joined SoundCloud as the company’s President in 2021 after over a decade at Warner Music Group/ADA. Seton then became CEO of SoundCloud last year.
During his time at SoundCloud he has steered the company beyond major milestones – including SoundCloud's first ever annual profit, posted last year.
The biggest headline surrounding SoundCloud in 2024, however, has been the news that the company is headed towards a financial event: either a sale, an IPO, or some kind of raise, following investments in the firm in recent years from Sirius XM, Raine Group, and Temasek.
Meanwhile, Seton confirms that SoundCloud hosts 400 million tracks today - making it significantly bigger as a streaming platform for listeners than other audio services. At the same time, it's a powerful partner for millions of creators, offering distribution and additional services to accelerate their careers.
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