Soundcloud used to be the go-to platform for DJs to upload their remixes but its popularity plummeted when they started pulling mixes citing copyright issues.
A program called “automated content identification” is used on the platform to block content that copyright holders don’t want on the site. As the popularity of the site grew it started blocking more and more content, even pulling remixes and banning DJs who had a significant amount of followers.
Soundcloud founder Eric Wahlforss has now told Groove that the platform has reached an agreement with licensing groups to allow DJs to post remixes, “problem free”.
Wahlforss explained that it was particularly difficult for DJs to post mixes on the site because they didn’t have the copyright for all the songs featured in a mix.
He assures though that they’ve reached agreements that mean, “DJ mixes can now be posted legally and problem-free on SoundCloud. So this is a very positive news for DJs.”
It may be too late to reclaim their hold on the DJ market though. Spotify and Apple Music have already started adding unofficial remixes to their catalogue after entering into a partnership with Dubset, a music rights management company that scans a remix or mix and figures out which songs have been used.
Only time will tell whether or not DJs will flood back to Soundcloud.
