New SoundCloud algorithm promotes tracks with 0 plays
Image credit: Daniel Fontenele
SoundCloud want to transform how songs are recommended to give artists with no attention a chance within the algorithm.
SoundCloud, ever a hub of support for the independent artist, looks to challenge the status quo in favour of indies again. They want to reinvent the algorithm to serve undiscovered artists and expand the potential of new or unheard tracks.
Music streaming services have revolutionised music discovery with their algorithms. These intelligent systems are able to recommend listeners music based on what they’ve liked, matching new songs with their tastes.
The way that these algorithms generally work is by working out what people who like one song enjoy elsewhere. They can then predict that listeners of that song will also like the other things fans of that songs like. So, with millions of users, they’re able to curate a complex network of songs that people enjoy in common for good recommendations.
SoundCloud put it simply: “If someone similar to me listens to and likes “Fred Again”, chances are I’ll be recommended “Fred Again.”
How SoundCloud plan to change algorithms
SoundCloud have an issue with the way algorithms have traditionally been working. They write of the old system: “That obviously works well for artists who are already being heard. But what about all of the songs that don’t have any plays yet?”
It’s a good question. Getting heard was named the biggest problem for music creatives by far in a recent polling of the biggest challenges facing musicians.
SoundCloud are updating their algorithm for Next Pro users. Using AI, they will analyse tracks to determine their characteristics and the sort of listener who might enjoy it. They can use this information to give tracks with no listener data a chance with the listeners who are most likely to give it the love it needs.
SoundCloud promise the feature will give attention to tracks “even if they were just uploaded and have zero plays”. This is a fantastic chance for artists to expand their reach, hitting the correct audiences for their music even before they might have established an audience.
SoundCloud offer at least 100 new fans from their autoplay recommendations. They call them “First Fans”.
Other new changes at SoundCloud
SoundCloud’s announcement came alongside some other new treats for listeners and artists alike. Firstly, SoundCloud is now available on Apple Carplay for Go, Go+, and Next Pro subscribers.
SoundCloud have also introduced two-factor authorization to help secure user accounts. They encourage users to enable two-factor authorization that will require a security code whenever the account is logged into.
The Track Manager has been updated with the option for bulk edits. This allows creators to select multiple tracks at once to add to playlists, edit, or remove with ease. SoundCloud cite this as “part of a greater revamp to improve our web experience and refresh our product over the coming months, so watch this space”.
Finally, tracks are now automatically synced within the “Monetize” tab. They have removed the manual sync button that was previously required for artists to see their tracks data line up.