SoundCloud has fiercely defended its unlicensed streaming model, explaining that its journey to monetisation for creators was always part of its business plan.

After recently announcing plans to incorporate advertising, as well as launching an ad-free subscription model as part of new licensing deals with entertainment companies, Jeff Toig, chief business officer at SoundCloud, said the platform is taking the next step of its development.

“Building a company takes time and SoundCloud has been built in three phases,” Toig ...