SoundCloud has today (February 28) introduced a new mid-priced subscription plan, offering an offline, ad-free service for £5.99 per month.
The new £5.99 package will take on the name SoundCloud Go, with the existing premium £9.99 service being renamed SoundCloud Go+.
The key difference between the two tiers is the number of songs available – SoundCloud Go provides access to 120 million songs, while SoundCloud Go+ offers access to 150 million. Additional product features for the Go+ service are expected to be announced later this year.
“SoundCloud’s unique mix of content, much of which can’t be found anywhere else, is an incredibly attractive offering for music lovers who are at the forefront of what’s happening now and driving what’s next in music,” said Alison Moore, chief revenue officer at SoundCloud. “SoundCloud Go answers the call from our users who want the ability to take the huge catalogue of content found in SoundCloud’s free, ad-supported offering with them anytime, anywhere, without interruptions, at a very affordable price. And at the same time, we’re now giving users who haven’t made the jump into a music subscription plan, a robust, fully on-demand option at an accessible price.”
Alex Ljung, CEO, SoundCloud, added: “SoundCloud offers the largest, most diverse mix of established and emerging artists, all in one place. Now with three ways to experience SoundCloud: SoundCloud’s free, ad-supported offering, SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+, users have even more freedom to choose the features and content they want, at the price that fits their budget. 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 programme.”
Last year it was rumoured that SoundCloud was set to be acquired by streaming market leader Spotify, although the company reportedly backed out a proposed deal in December because it felt that the buyout could ‘negatively impact its IPO preparation’.
