SoundCloud’s new features make music discovery more social
SoundCloud’s latest updates make the platform a much more social space.
SoundCloud is becoming more community-focused with a new wave of social features that make it easier to discover music through friends and favourite artists. The platform’s latest update introduces several tools designed to make listening feel more connected and interactive, giving users new ways to find songs that are already loved by people they follow.
SoundCloud announced the update on Thursday, revealing new features including playlists based on what friends and artists like, a daily “Liked by your crew” list, and improved recommendations to help users connect with others who share their taste in music.
The “Liked by your crew” feature is one of the standout updates. This automatically compiles a daily list of songs that your friends and favourite artists have recently liked. It appears right on your homepage, giving you a quick look at what’s trending within your own circle.
Alongside this, the “Liked by playlists” feature offers a scrollable carousel of playlists built from your network’s recent likes, including friends and favourite artists. This helps you discover new tracks and artists without having to search endlessly and aimlessly through playlists or genres.
Another addition is the “Trending Trackwall”, a visual, feed-like tracklist showcasing what’s currently rising on SoundCloud. It can be filtered to show what’s most relevant to you – from your scene and community to the wider platform. Instead of scrolling through endless playlists, you can instantly see what’s trending and discover the tracks that SoundCloud believes are “about to hit the mainstream,” helping you stay ahead of the curve.
While these features are available on iOS, Android, and Web, SoundCloud also revealed two new features exclusive to mobile users. These are “Hot For You” and Suggested Follows. The first is a daily personalised track of the day recommendation that is based on what’s trending on the platform as well as to your own listening habits. The second, as you may expect, is a suggested follows carousel that helps users connect with fans, artists, and people you already might know. This feature is designed with the primary focus of making it “easier than ever to grow your music community.”
SoundCloud has always been about interaction and community, and with these new integrations, the platform is clearly taking that even further by positioning itself as a more social space. The updates come as it continues to compete with streaming giants like Spotify, which recently introduced direct messaging for sharing playlists and songs between friends.