--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: SoundCloud took a community-first…" description: "\"SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its business, prioritizing finding artists to post on its service over making deals with music l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg" --- # SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its… ![“SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its business, prioritizing finding artists to post on its service over making deals with music labels to license their music, the approach taken by Spotify.” quote by Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg) > “SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its business, prioritizing finding artists to post on its service over making deals with music labels to license their music, the approach taken by Spotify.” [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. SoundCloud prioritized artist community over label deals, contrasting with Spotify’s label‑centric model, showing differing growth strategies. **In simple terms:** SoundCloud focused on helping artists first, unlike Spotify’s label focus. Key Takeaway Community‑first approaches can foster organic growth. Themes business strategy music industry platform design Mood analytical informative Type journalistic explanatory When to use this quote - startup growth - music distribution - artist support - platform competition Key Concepts network effects user‑generated content Questions to Reflect On - How does community focus affect long‑term sustainability? - What are trade‑offs between artist support and licensing? A Different Perspective May limit revenue without label partnerships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Community Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-approach-3556173/) [Deals Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals-music-3556175/) [Finding Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-artists-3556174/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-labels-1022746/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Soundcloud Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soundcloud-took-3556172/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of people were getting million-dollar deals from music I felt was trash, because their videos were going viral. I wanted to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kali-uchis/a-lot-of-people-were-getting-million-dollar-deals-from-music-i-felt/) [Kali Uchis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kali-uchis/) > [I know that often times a lot of people who work in music, whether they be labels and so on or even artists, want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/i-know-that-often-times-a-lot-of-people-who-work-in-music-whether/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [I definitely believe that the power of the artist is in the artist's hands now. We're kind of in the wild, wild west of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/i-definitely-believe-that-the-power-of-the-artist-is-in-the-artist-s/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [There is such an advantage to self-releasing. If you can do it yourself, it's the best way to go. In Europe and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-stirling/there-is-such-an-advantage-to-self-releasing-if-you-can-do-it/) [Lindsey Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-stirling/) > [Alasdair Fraser's Culburnie Records has quietly become one of the best Celtic music labels today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/alasdair-fraser-s-culburnie-records-has-quietly-become-one-of-the/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [When I first tried to get a record deal for my original music, labels didn’t understand what these instruments were meant to be doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-ciani/when-i-first-tried-to-get-a-record-deal-for-my-original-music-labels/) [Suzanne Ciani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-ciani/) > [The Internet might be killing the business for music labels, but it is working well for independent artists. I released my songs online and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-kakkar/the-internet-might-be-killing-the-business-for-music-labels-but-it-is/) [Sonu Kakkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-kakkar/) > [I have taken taking my music to labels for years, and everyone just thought it was creepy. They thought the images with the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-have-taken-taking-my-music-to-labels-for-years-and-everyone-just/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [It all started with social media, building a fan base via Tumblr and YouTube, doing covers, and releasing a project with original music. Labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-skye/it-all-started-with-social-media-building-a-fan-base-via-tumblr-and/) [Justine Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-skye/) > [“The police ultimately pay the price for poor customer service when citizens become fearful of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-police-ultimately-pay-the-price-for-poor-customer-service-when/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“I want room service!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-mnemonic/i-want-room-service/) [Johnny Mnemonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-mnemonic/) > [In my opinion, most organized religion does neither agentic service nor relational nurturance very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/in-my-opinion-most-organized-religion-does-neither-agentic-service/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [The only place where compensation comes before service is in the dictionary or anywhere the government meddles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/the-only-place-where-compensation-comes-before-service-is-in-the/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [The United States Postal Service is overworked and under-funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-drew/the-united-states-postal-service-is-overworked-and-under-funded/) [Jeff Van Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-drew/) > [Leadership is made for service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hyles/leadership-is-made-for-service/) [Jack Hyles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hyles/) ## More by Jenna Wortham > [We are being conditioned, as a population, to never wait, to never delay our gratification, to accept thoughtless, constant consumption as the new norm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/we-are-being-conditioned-as-a-population-to-never-wait-to-never-delay/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [Spotify, Tidal, and even YouTube, to a degree, are vast and rich troves of music, but they primarily function as search engines organized by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/spotify-tidal-and-even-youtube-to-a-degree-are-vast-and-rich-troves/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [The speed with which modern society has adapted to accommodate the world's vast spectrum of gender and sexual identities may be the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/the-speed-with-which-modern-society-has-adapted-to-accommodate-the/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [As we now know, cyberspace did not liberate human society from pre-existing socioeconomic hierarchies and power structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/as-we-now-know-cyberspace-did-not-liberate-human-society-from-pre/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [For all its power as a protest medium, black Twitter serves a great many users as a virtual place to just hang out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/for-all-its-power-as-a-protest-medium-black-twitter-serves-a-great/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [For all the advances in tech that let us try on various guises to play around with who we are, it seems that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/for-all-the-advances-in-tech-that-let-us-try-on-various-guises-to/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [Artists' obsessions with technology are not new, but in the late aughts, the work tended to focus on the possibility of the medium, treating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/artists-obsessions-with-technology-are-not-new-but-in-the-late-aughts/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [When I visited my family in Virginia, I tracked down my seventh-grade best friend and sat in TGI Fridays near a mall for hours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/when-i-visited-my-family-in-virginia-i-tracked-down-my-seventh-grade/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [People in tech love to see their work as embodying the 'hacker ethos': a desire to break systems down in order to change them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/people-in-tech-love-to-see-their-work-as-embodying-the-hacker-ethos-a/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, two of the most liberal places in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/i-live-in-brooklyn-and-work-in-manhattan-two-of-the-most-liberal/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [It's becoming much more common to see yoga studios offer classes aimed exclusively at people of color who are searching for ways to cope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/it-s-becoming-much-more-common-to-see-yoga-studios-offer-classes/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [I'm partial to a Muji recycled-paper sketch book and a Sharpie ultrafine marker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/i-m-partial-to-a-muji-recycled-paper-sketch-book-and-a-sharpie/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [The types of ideas protected by intellectual-property law typically don't include a clever catchphrase on a Vine or a film idea in a tweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/the-types-of-ideas-protected-by-intellectual-property-law-typically/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [Online, there is an irresistible social currency to being a user who has thousands of followers, who starts memes, who comes up with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/online-there-is-an-irresistible-social-currency-to-being-a-user-who/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [Someday, maybe we'll recognize that queer is actually the norm, and the notion of static sexual identities will be seen as austere and reductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/someday-maybe-we-ll-recognize-that-queer-is-actually-the-norm-and-the/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) [Explore all 100 Jenna Wortham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its business, prioritizing finding artists to post on its service over making deals with music labels to license their music, the approach taken by Spotify.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenna Wortham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approach-to-building-its-business/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approach-to-building-its-business/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/jenna-wortham-5508_art_soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approa_1194309.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“SoundCloud took a community-first approach to building its business, prioritizing finding artists to post on…” — Jenna Wortham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jenna Wortham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "SoundCloud took a community-first approach to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approach-to-building-its-business/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/soundcloud-took-a-community-first-approach-to-building-its-business/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```