Goodbye Soundcloud, Hello Bandcamp

This post is about enshittification and the decay of the creative web as we know it. It is also about owning and paying your fair share to music artists. I try to recall my last 20 years of listening to music and give some advice for the future.

2007 - Success of .mp3

Setup

Back in 2007 I had a Windows 7 computer and music library was stored on it. The library was synced with iTunes, Zune Player, SkyDrive (now OneDrive) or the Playstation Portable (PSP).

Labor

I put in a lot effort to keep the library well maintained. I updated metadata and added album covers.

Industry

Music was published by record labels. Artists depended on the record label and thus record labels had a lot of power.

2013 - Subscribe to listen

Setup

There internet bandwidth increased and music streaming became feasible. In 2013 Soundcloud was an underdog for listening to music. A lot of listeners had already ditched Apple music in favor of Spotify. On July 2nd 2013 I created my first playlist on Soundcloud.

Labor

With access to an almost infinite music library, the work to maintain my personal music library became obsolete quite quickly. Instead, I created a lot of playlists. Discoverying music an see your taste change over time was fascinating.

Industry

From 2010 to 2020 the entire transition from owning a record to buying a subscription had happened.

2025 - Enter the enshittogenesis

Setup

What is the state of Soundcloud? Since being the Underdog, Soundcloud has become a major player. They have tried various subscription models and rebranded themselfs many times.

Labor

If I recall correctly, these playlists held 10 to 12 songs. When I check them now, only 4 to 6 songs are left. About 50% of songs have been removed from my playlists.

At least you are able to switch streaming platform. You can sync your likes follows, likes and playlists between the streaming providers (Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music or Soundcloud).

Industry

Spotify has changed the music industry… for the worse. They have the monopoly on music streaming and also decide how music is produced. Artists do not get their fair share.

Soundcloud has the same problem as other music streaming providers. You cannot please your shareholders with a 13$ per month subscription and thus have to seek other revenue models.

2026 - Back to owning

Setup

As the title of this post already tells, I cancelled my Soundcloud subscription.

What really tipped my off was the fact, that even though I was a paying customer, Soundcloud tried to milk me for advertising. The Soundcloud app had become the most intrusive app and the number one on the adblock wall of shame.

Just switching to another provider was not an option. The only option left was Bandcamp.

Labor

It is kind of going back to buying CDs and Vinyls. If you are truly a fan of music and want to support artists, then buying from then directly is the best way.

Industry

Bandcamp goes half-way. It is still a platform and can still be sold and remodeled. But until then, it seems like the best option.

Also I appreciate their stance on AI: https://blog.bandcamp.com/2026/01/13/keeping-bandcamp-human/