UPDATED 7/14/17: Friday, Chance the Rapper revealed he and SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung had a "very fruitful" phone conversation and that the company was "here to stay." Chance did not provide details on what he and Ljung discussed, but it looks like SoundCloud is safe for now.
SoundCloud confirmed they are here to stay with a tweet:
*airhorn* Spread the word: your music isn’t going anywhere. Neither are we.
See original story from 7/13/17 below.
SoundCloud co-founder and CEO Alex Ljung assured listeners and artists that the company was in control of its "independent future" and on a path to "profitability" after laying off 173 staffers last week. In a subsequent report forum TechCrunch, however, the situation is supposedly much more dire. Eventually, news of SoundCloud's current (alleged) status even prompted a response from Chance the Rapper.
Sources claimed Wednesday that Ljung and co-founder Eric Wahlforss said during a recent meeting that the layoffs saved them enough money to continue until the fourth quarter, which kicks off in 50 days. Following the sources' claims, a SoundCloud spokesperson told Complex the company was "fully funded into Q4" and was currently in talks with potential investors. Read the statement in full below:
There are a number of inaccuracies within the TechCrunch article. They seem to stem from a misinterpretation of information by one or two laid off employees during a recent all hands meeting.
In his initial statement on the layoffs, shared July 6, Ljung explained the staff cuts served as a method of ensuring the company's path to "long-term, independent success." To do this, Ljung said, requires "cost cutting, continued growth of our existing advertising and subscription revenue streams, and a relentless focus on our unique competitive advantage — artists and creators."
On Thursday, the official Audiomack account disputed SoundCloud's commitment to artists. According to Audiomack, SoundCloud put bankers' needs over the artists who helped them build an enterprise:
Chance the Rapper chimed in on the latest SoundCloud developments Thursday, telling his nearly 5 million Twitter followers he was working on the issue. He did not provide additional details.
