14 DAY TRIAL // The new SoundCloud is here, a major revamp of the site that makes it more usable and opens it up to a whole new type of users, the curators.
SoundCloud is a German company, so where better to announce the revamp than at Le Web, the premiere European tech conference.
It did more than that, it also provided some new data on how well it was doing. And it's doing pretty well, it's now up to 180 million people sharing and listening to sounds every month, Twitter- and Tumblr-scale numbers.
In fact, given that it's only now that SoundCloud is getting some very basic features like reposts or sets, it's safe to assume that there's plenty of room to grow.
The number speaks about the quality of the core product and the fact there is an actual need for such a service, a "YouTube for audio" as it labels itself.
The actual registered user numbers are smaller, at only 30 million people. Then again, so are the numbers for YouTube, or would be if it wasn't linked to Google accounts.
Over 10 hours of audio are uploaded every minute at this point. SoundCloud is focusing on mobile, something everyone is saying these days, but the obvious choice for the site as it tries to position itself as more than a music site and more of a cloud platform for audio.
Speaking of the mobile apps, those are getting an update as well, in a couple of days both the Android and the iOS app will get the ability to repost sounds, include the improved search currently available on the site and other features that are part of the next SoundCloud.
The interface will also be updated to be more in line with the new site, but the apps already included some of the newer visual elements. While getting a big update, the mobile apps haven't been rewritten from the ground up as is the case with the site.