SoundCloud is an audio platform that enables users to upload, record, promote and share their originally-created sounds across the web.

The Berlin-based service offers free accounts to amateur creators, which can be upgraded to premium accounts for advanced features such as statistics, controlled distribution and custom branding.

SoundCloud for Journalism

Journalists and media organisations can use SoundCloud in a variety of ways:

1. Create Audio: SoundCloud offers free iPhone, Ipad and Android apps allowing users to record and upload audio files (interviews, field reports, notes etc) publicly or privately. 

2. Share Audio: If uploaded publicly, audio files can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and can also be embedded into websites.

Example: An audio message recorded by US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was later shared in several ways:

• SoundCloud
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Huff Po
• CBS
• LA Times

  A Message from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords by RepGiffords

3. Crowdsource audio/user generated content: SoundCloud offers a variety of tools that allow users to crowdsource audio. 

• Sound maps: audio can be plotted to a map using SoundCloud mobile devices or added retrospectively.

Example: http://soundsoffringe.com

Map created with audio from Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival

• Drop box: users can submit audio to a SoundCloud account via the “drop box” feature. This can be useful for audio files which need to be reviewed.

Example: NPR All Songs Considered radio show asked listeners to submit stories of their songs of the summer. The radio show embedded a widget on its website which linked to its drop box.

• Record: SoundCloud offers the ability, with some development work, to embed a record button on to a website.

Examples: http://timexile.tv/ and http://www.timenesia.org/neighborhood/fields-corner

Tim Exile’s Online Jam Stage crowdsources sounds to produce live jams

• Sharing Kit: for IOS and Android, SoundCloud technology enables to upload audio created in an app to SoundCloud.

Example: a media organisation can make an app where users can submit audio and then use SoundCloud’s sharing kit to share to SoundCloud and have it streamable with meta data such as location, title, image, tags etc

• Phone: upload audio via phone. This tool can be handy for phone interviews.

4. Measure/Stats: SoundCloud provides in-depth stats on:
• Plays, downloads, comments, favourites etc
• Geographic location of downloads, players, favourites, comments etc
• Source of plays (for example how many plays from Facebook)
• Plays via the API (how many plays via an app)

5. Integrations: SoundCloud is integrated with different apps:

• iRig and FiRe app - both record apps with upload to SoundCloud that also have trimming and cropping etc
• Storify: a way to tell stories with social media (See for example: http://storify.com/danpatterson/occupywallstreet)
• Hindenburg Journalist and Pro tools 10 - both are audio work stations with upload to SoundCloud
• Speaker Text: Speaker Text transcribes audio files for a small fee and hyperlinks the text to the audio.

6. Search : SoundCloud can be searched for quotes or audio from a news event much in the way videos are searched on YouTube. SoundCloud has an advanced search function which allows users to search the “spoken” category for a keyword. There is also an option of searching for content under a creative commons licence.

More information:

Ten ways journalists can use SoundCloud, Journalism.co.uk, December 2011

The Creative Web: Is SoundCloud the YouTube of Audio?, ReadWriteWeb, February 2011

SoundCloud 101: Best ways to use SoundCloud

Published: December 7, 2011