SoundCloud Adds Social Features to Track Friends’ Music
SoundCloud is pivoting toward a more community-focused experience with the rollout of several social discovery tools. The platform, which competes against streaming giants like Spotify, released updates on Thursday that allow users to track the listening habits of friends and artists they follow.
New Ways to Discover Music
The update introduces a suite of features designed to make SoundCloud feel more connected. Central to these changes are two primary discovery mechanisms:
- Liked by your crew: A homepage feed updated daily that compiles tracks currently enjoyed by your friends and the artists you follow.
- Liked by playlists: A carousel interface that gathers playlists curated based on the recent “likes” from your network.
Alongside these social feeds, the platform has launched a “Trending Trackwall.” This tool aggregates popular music across the service and includes filtering options, allowing users to browse hits without manually searching through extensive user-generated playlists.
Mobile-Exclusive Improvements
While most updates are available across web and mobile, the iOS and Android applications receive two specific exclusive features:
- Hot for you: A daily personalized track recommendation that highlights trending songs matching the listener’s individual taste.
- Suggested follows: A homepage carousel that recommends new accounts to follow, including artists, real-life acquaintances, and fans with similar musical preferences.
These additions arrive as the broader music streaming market emphasizes social connectivity. Spotify, for instance, recently expanded its own social capabilities by introducing direct messaging tools to facilitate the sharing of songs and playlists between users.