2. SoundCloud still hasn’t reached a deal with Sony

The biggest thorn in SoundCloud’s side has been the issue of copyright. It’s entirely reasonable for artists and labels to get paid for music played through the service, but the Kafka-esque hoops users have had to jump through after account suspensions despite owning the music has left a lot people wary.

SoundCloud has no power over these takedowns: it’s primarily the major labels issuing the strikes through automated software. Universal and Warner have reached deals with SoundCloud but not Sony, who last year criticised the platform’s “lack of monetization opportunities”. Until Sony gets on board with SoundCloud, the a risk of account deletion will continue to put artists off using the service.