14 DAY TRIAL // SoundCloud is trying to widen its userbase and has decided to launch a new subscription plan for $5.
Currently, SoundCloud can be used for free, which gives users access to music from established and emerging artists, in over 120 million tracks. Now rebranded as SoundCloud Go+, the $10 tier offers users the full experience, which includes access to over 150 million tracks, millions of premium SoundCloud Go+ tracks, no ads, offline playing, and more.
The newly introduced $5 plan restricts user access to the same 120 million tracks available for free, but takes out the ads and brings in the offline listening option.
Less money for the best features
A regular SoundCloud subscription goes for $10, but now customers will be able to take advantage of the service, even being able to listen to tracks offline and forego ads, but they'll have a somewhat thinner database to choose from.
Music streaming service SoundCloud gives users the option to choose between paying the full price and getting full access, or picking the $5 plan and getting the essential features of the service.
This is clearly an effort to get more subscribers to the service as money seems to be running short for the company. However, that doesn't mean it's not a good deal. In fact, this new mid-tier offering, which will be called SoudCloud Go, will remove ads and add online support to the standard SoundCloud experience.
"By expanding our offering, we not only enhance the experience for listeners on the platform, but also unlock new revenue opportunities to further expand our creator-payout program," said Alex Ljung, SoundCloud CEO.
In recent months, SoundCloud has gone through a lot of changes. Its COO and finance director decided to leave the company after the Spotify deal fell through. In search for new revenue that will keep the service going, SoundCloud has decided to add this new subscription tier. Of course, monetizing a service such as SoundCloud has always been difficult due to all the costs implied by such a business. Hopefully, they'll pull through and this new plan will work out.