If there’s ever been a subject on which deadmau5 does not have an opinion, we haven’t heard it. The Canadian producer recently took to Twitter with a well-thought out plan on how the Belgian company, which recently let go of 40 percent of its staff, could reverse its failing position.
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The impromptu pitch was made after Chance the Rapper tweeted that he’d had a fruitful conversation with Soundcloud’s founder Alex Ljung. In the lengthy breakdown, deadmau5 details Soundcloud’s true value as its data base and says the company should instead have made itself a licensing platform for independent labels and artists. As he points out, any “free” service comes with some kind of hidden fee.
Check his tweets out below.
Congrats on your new boat anchor. https://t.co/7pr3mcGu8C
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
The only real value to it is the email / Facebook and twitter account db it has amassed over the years. That’s a db a record label wants. https://t.co/iemO7tPJKv
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
We still have hope, I’ve got my 40 bucks on Spotify waving a cheque in someone’s face for their user db. https://t.co/8B1FmsIfcq
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Oh trust me. They will. That’s the whole point… you think Chance would likely hold up in a bidding war against Spotify? ok. https://t.co/PsNJkGYQq2
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Discovering talent on Soundcloud to me is like taking a chick on a date and she’s on instagram all day. I’d rather deal with a person.
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
And I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, it’s going to the highest bidder or tanking indefinitely… neither option benefits indie artists.
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
First of all, I’d put money into securing the service, and stop collecting user data outside of userIDS, then I would rebrand it. https://t.co/tiX89agR3M
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
After that, I would integrate a Creative Commons liscense for independent labels to seek liscense from its users on a person to person basis
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
From there, indie artists can then continue to use the platform without being buried by “sponsored content” from whore mongering labels
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Uploaded content can still be screened by most “published music” algos to prevent users from uploading someone’s published works. https://t.co/c7EYEFd2cf
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Well there’s the rub. A free service is good and great, but data services and hosting isn’t free… so you have to get creative there. https://t.co/3IzkqQvH7d
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
This is the single smartest thing anyone has ever said about “free services” on the internet. Ever. This is all you need to know. https://t.co/Do5jAYdryL
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
I think you could provide a SoundCloud-like environment by involving label investments, agency subscriptions…
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Has no one ever thought of charging the major labels to use the site as a bespoke / staffed music resource for new acts? Okay.
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
Like fuckin charge Spotify to have liscense to the users catalogues on liscense to rebroadcast music. They can pay artists and site fees.
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
In summary, sure. I could turn the SoundCloud shitshow around with a decent team. But why fix someone else’s fuckup after paying for it?
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017
It might have been worth pointing out that sc is a Berlin based company and they manage to dodge a ton of US copyright laws… but ??–
— dead mow cinco (@deadmau5) July 14, 2017