Soundcloud cut staff! – 40% of them!!
This blog post isn’t directly about how to create or grow your podcast… However if you are hosting your podcast with Soundcloud… Or even thinking about it for a new podcast, this is a news article worth following with tips on our favourite alternatives at the end.
If you have been following the ongoing fear around Soundcloud’s future then you will have been reading articles as far back as 2012-2014! Their profits began to decline in 2010 and have continued to plummet as rivals Spotify, Deezer and Apple inc have all grown. This of course has sown a seed of fear in users and stakeholders minds.
For podcasters that host their casts on the platform…. The fear comes from losing subscribers should it shut down. For those that don’t know how an RSS feed works, in simple terms the host or provider gives you a web address (URL) for your feed, and this is what your listeners subscribe directly to. If that address is on soundcloud’s servers for example (www.soundcloud.com/rssname)…
If that site was to shut down the URL would be lost and therefore so would the subscribers. (Crying face!!!)
This month a further devastating blow came as Soundcloud decided that to attempt to get back into profitability for the first time in 5+ years, they would lay off 40% of their staff! The music and audio service will close its offices in San Francisco and London.
“We need to ensure our path to long-term, independent success,”… Alex Ljung, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said in a blog published on Soundcloud’s website. He went on to assure stakeholders that revenue had doubled in the last 12 months. The cuts in staff would help to profitability, and help them challenge the big names again.
Despite these words it has put the fear into podcasters once again. However, we don’t know… and personally don’t think a “groove shark like” collapse is likely. If it was in sight, I don’t personally believe they would leave their users high and dry.
HOWEVER, we are worry warts at Abrupt Audio and if you love your podcast almost as much as your first born… You probably are too! So our advice is keep an eye on the stories and have a look at your options. We have a couple of favourites that we use…
-Self hosting… Sounds scary, full of code writing and expensive right?! It actually isn’t, it’s easy to do and dirt cheap! We are writing a how-to guide right now actually. Want it before we release it as a blog?….. Ping us an email selfhost@abuptaudio.com and I will fire it over to you!
-Libsyn… Arguably the market leader when it comes to podcasts and we have in fact fallen in love with the platform recently. They are quiet about what they do, but do it brilliantly. I will shortly be recording a video on what we love about Libsyn so watch this space for that! In the meantime check out their excellent features and affordable prices.
Plus check out an easy migration guide for moving to libsyn from Soundcloud here…. http://traffic.libsyn.com/lilith/sc_migration_redirect_tutorial.pdf
-Blubrry… An awesome team behind this. Much like Libsyn offering similar services and products for a similar price. However Blubrry have incredible support and often will get back to FB messages in the podcast communities immediately and on email very quickly. They also provide the Powerpress plugin for WordPress (helping you to self host your RSS) and a stats platform for FREE!!! How awesome is that, pay them back by checking out this option as your host. They also have a nifty die for migrating from Soundcloud here: https://create.blubrry.com/resources/podcast-media-hosting/migrating-to-blubrry/moving-from-soundcloud/
So in conclusion, don’t panic, things are happening that might be good for podcasters… Unless you are one of the people that lost their jobs ?
However, know your options and always check them out… They might be doing something you can’t at the moment with your provider.
Are you an aspiring podcaster? Here are some more awesome blogs:
Thinking of podcasting? Check out our podcast all about podcasting, it’s a bit like inception but makes starting a podcast simple and doesn’t have Leonardo Di-Caprio in it. Listen in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.