Remember that interview that founder and CTO, Eric Wahlforss made that said that DJ mixes will no longer be taken down? I remember! Remember how we said we were skeptical about this because Soundcloud is well…Soundcloud? I remember that too. Turns out that we were sadly right. Soundcloud put out a blog post clearing up the comments say that while they signed agreements with labels, publishers, and other partners, DJ mixes are still on the chopping block for copyright takedowns. They said there will be far fewer takedowns, but that can’t be any more vague. So DJ’s can play hot potato with their mixes until they’re snagged and booted off the site despite paying $135 a year. Who would risk that? We did and we lost. Here’s their blog post:
There have been a number of incoming questions this week from our community around creativity and content on SoundCloud. Today, through a number of agreements with labels, publishers and other partners, there are far fewer takedowns of various forms of content – including DJ sets – shared on SoundCloud. It’s clear from our conversations and agreements with the industry and creative community as a whole, that enabling a place for all forms of creativity to live is important, and that SoundCloud can be that place.
With that, it’s important to note takedowns are at the request of creators. While the agreements we have in place across the industry have greatly lessened the likelihood of takedowns, as a creator driven platform, we respect all creators, and therefore we respect the rights of all creators who request to have their content removed.
As always, SoundCloud’s aim is to continue building a unique ecosystem where all forms of expression can live and thrive. The community of creators who gather, share their work and collaborate on SoundCloud is hugely important to us. Creators on SoundCloud continue to be a driving force in pushing culture forward in the world, and we are honored to be the place to help amplify the millions of creative voices who call SoundCloud home.
Here’s my biggest issue. Let’s be real. How many actual artists are taking down mixes because their tracks being used unless the mix is actually the artist’s mix? We all know it is the label or the publisher, or whoever runs it. How do you trust a site that will take down your mix and give you a copyright notice after you mix has been up for over a year or so (we lost our account to that first hand). Soundcloud plays favoritism with artists. Look at Ookay who lost his account, but for some reason, his account and library is back. I am sure he had a legitimate reason despite posting bootlegs, but what about those who rip mixes from artists’ podcasts or livesets? As much as we love them, they’re not the ideal accounts. It is sad that artists have multiple Soundcloud accounts because they are afraid of getting shut down. We’re not trusting you Soundcloud and to be frank, with this post, how could anyone else?