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What SoundCloud Created Can Never Die

News broke this week that SoundCloud was looking to be bought. Even in the hands of different owners, its legacy—from Kehlani to “Old Town Road”—remains.

Thanks to a last-minute $170 million cash infusion from investment firms Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, and a little help from Chance the Rapper, the company was saved from termination. Those connections hit a critical mass in 2015 when SoundCloud rap announced itself to mainstream ears, as upstarts Lil Peep, Smokepurpp, XXXtentacion, and Juice WRLD began to make noise. Though it did not always succeed—there was an exodus of musicians from the platform in 2013 when the company ignored a redesign flaw that caused a spam issue, to say nothing of users buying likes, followers, and listens—it has attempted to equip artists with the tools for success, even if it couldn’t agree on the best route for compensation.

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