From Passion Pit to Adele to Hozier and seemingly everywhere in between, Sony has started removing artists’ entire discographies from the music hosting service, Soundcloud, following a breakdown in negotiations between Sony & Columbia Records with the Germany-based entity.
Although recently signing licensing agreements with the likes of both Warner & Universal Music Groups, this breaking development could be a significant hindrance to Soundcloud’s continued success – despite its 350 million monthly users and crucial role in the success of some of the biggest artists in every genre.
These take-downs are due to an overwhelming “lack of monetization opportunities,” a spokesman for Sony & Columbia said. Instead majors want to see themselves paid, as well as their artists, and while this doesn’t spell the platform’s ruin, it certainly serves to limit it to a tool for exposure of smaller artists as opposed to one of limitless potential for established ones.
Check out a more in-depth look at this breaking news here on Billboard.
