SoundCloud is increasing its artist providers enterprise globally by coming into right into a three way partnership with Jax Jones’ and Dan Stacey’s UK-based, dance-focused report label, WUGD (What You Gonna Do) Ltd.

DJ, songwriter, and producer Jax Jones launched WUGD in 2021 alongside Dan Stacey, the founding father of Loving Alliance, which is dwelling to artists like Riton, D.O.D, rising star Hannah Laing, and Jax Jones himself.

SoundCloud says it has teamed up with WUGD “to find, nurture, and put money into rising digital music artists featured on the platform internationally”.

SoundCloud’s take care of WUGD comes a 12 months after SoundCloud signed an artist-signing three way partnership with Strong Basis, the administration and inventive providers arm of Atlanta rap powerhouse QC Media Holdings (High quality Management).

Simply final week, HYBE America, led by CEO Scooter Braun, agreed to amass High quality Management, dwelling to acts akin to Lil Child, Migos, Lil Yachty and Metropolis Ladies, from its homeowners, revered music business veterans Kevin “Coach Ok” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas.

A SoundCloud spokesperson says the latest acquisition by HYBE doesn’t have an effect on Coach Ok and P’s relationship with SoundCloud going ahead.

SoundCloud notes that Dan Stacey “has been an influential determine in UK music” stretching again over 20 years to his time as Music Editor of i-D Journal and A&R at 679 Recordings, the place he signed distinguished artists Kano and Plan B.

First along with his firm Hardlivings and now Loving Alliance, his Grammy-winning and nominated artists have been answerable for over 30 Prime 20 singles on the UK’s Official Singles Chart, and over 12 billion world streams.

Jax Jones, in the meantime, is a multi-Grammy, Ivor Novello, and Brit-nominated artist have racked up 8 billion streams globally, 15 platinum singles within the UK, and his debut album Snacks was the biggest-selling dance album within the UK in 2019 and 2020.

MBW has beforehand written about SoundCloud’s evolution to changing into extra of an artist providers enterprise.

SoundCloud’s present mannequin has two distinct sides:

• (i) A user-facing streaming service, which provides each ad-supported and subscription (SoundCloud Go+) revenue streams; and
• (ii) An artist providers enterprise, below which indie artists cannot solely add their music direct to SoundCloud, but in addition distribute their tracks to rival providers like Spotify. SoundCloud additionally provides extra instruments and sources to indie artists below the ‘SoundCloud for Artists’ model.

SoundCloud additionally launched a top-tier of artist service choices, often known as its “roster” final 12 months. Beneath these “roster” offers, significantly profitable impartial artists ‘signal’ direct to SoundCloud, with the corporate paying advances, investing in artist advertising and so on. simply as a standard report label would possibly.

‘SoundCloud for Artists’ was previously often known as ‘Repost’ which SoundCloud acquired in Could 2019 for round $15 million.

SoundCloud rebranded Repost, and launched a brand new creator dashboard for its artist providers platform, in October 2022. (SoundCloud additionally renamed its subscription plans).

Writing in a weblog put up on the time, Tracy Chan, SoundCloud’s Senior Vice President of Creator, (and former Head of Music at Twitch), known as SoundCloud for Artists “an elevated, all-in-one platform for artists to attach with followers and speed up their careers”.

He added that, “SoundCloud for Artists is now your centralized dwelling for all issues distribution, promotion, monetization, and extra”.

Commenting on the take care of WUGD, Jessica Rivera, SoundCloud International SVP & Basic Supervisor, mentioned: “WUGD’s real strategy and dedication to supporting artists makes them a super SoundCloud associate as we proceed to increase our choices and supply the sources they should construct sustainable careers.

“WUGD’s real strategy and dedication to supporting artists makes them a super SoundCloud associate as we proceed to increase our choices and supply the sources they should construct sustainable careers.”

Jessica Rivera, SoundCloud 

Added Rivera: “Jon Vick, our Director of Roster Worldwide, was the lead in our effort to convey this deal to life, which is able to faucet Jax Jones and Dan Stacey as key advisors throughout the dance music house, a extremely engaged group on SoundCloud within the UK and internationally.”

“Jax and I began WUGD to nurture and empower new expertise, and this partnership with SoundCloud expands on our dedication to artists, offering the proper house for them to develop and flourish.”

Dan Stacey, WUGD

Dan Stacey, Co-President of WUGD Ltd, added: “SoundCloud has the most important group of latest dance music artists on any platform at the moment.

“Jax and I began WUGD to nurture and empower new expertise, and this partnership with SoundCloud expands on our dedication to artists, offering the proper house for them to develop and flourish.

“All of us had essential mentors who lifted us up on our journeys and we’ll do the identical in type right here. On this partnership, we look ahead to investing in new artists and introducing them into the broader business – from mentorship to distribution and advertising .”Music Enterprise Worldwide