SoundCloud's paid streaming service expands to UK and Ireland - CNET

Enlarge Image

SoundCloud Go has launched in the UK and Ireland, the first country to enjoy the paid version of the music streaming service outside of the US.

After launching in the US in March for $9.99 per month, the subscription service is now available for £9.99 in the UK or 9.99 euros in Ireland.

Since launching in 2007, Soundcloud has established itself as a platform for musicians to upload their tunes, remixes and podcasts for listeners to hear for free. Following lengthy negotiations with record labels and music publishers around issues such as paying artists for fan-made remixes, the paid tier of the service is an attempt to monetise the 175 millions music fans using Soundcloud each month.

It's tough to tempt people to pay for things they're used to getting for free, so incentives to pay for Soundcloud Go include downloads to listen offline and a wider catalogue of tracks officially licensed from record labels. And subscribers will be able to avoid the adverts that will now appear on the service for UK listeners who haven't subscribed.

With its paid tier, Soundcloud joins streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal driving the music industry to the kind of growth it hasn't seen for fifteen years.