Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Hardwell picks reasonable times to engage in social media feuds. Not too long ago he had come to the aid of his protege Dyro after Seth Troxler made disparaging remarks about the DJ/producer, but this time music streaming powerhouse SoundCloud has landed in his crosshairs.
As we’ve talked about before, the ubiquity of music streaming services that’s run parallel to EDM’s explosion into mainstream popularity has become a thorn in the side of the “big four” record labels. Warner Music Group has famously put the squeeze on SoundCloud over the past couple of years – resulting in a licensing agreement that included the establishment of strict copyright policies (to the resounding dismay of just about every proponent of DJing/remixing culture).
When your precautions are malfunctioning to such a degree that the two-years-running DJ Mag #1 blasts you on Twitter, though, it might be time to reassess your strategy. In a tweet that has since been taken down, Dutch superstar DJ/producer said the following:
Hardwell‘s sentiments echo those of countless other artists and distributors from all echelons of the electronic music community. As the recording industry thrashes about to maintain its place in the ever-evolving world of entertainment, it appears as though SoundCloud will have been its first casualty.
Do you predict that another service will fill the void that SoundCloud leaves, or is the platform just one of many to fall as the golden age of streaming draws to a close? Let us know by sounding off in the comments section.