What SoundCloud Created Can Never Die

Kaytranada and Kehlani. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba.” The commonalities these artists and songs share is neither region nor genre but platform. SoundCloud was their origin point. “It sparked so many careers once upon a time,” says Stonie Blue, a New York-based DJ and cofounder of BIYDIY Records. “Artists could upload their music straight to the community that would lurk there before the main focus was streaming on Apple Music or Spotify.” Since joining the platform in 2012, he was introduced to newbie artists like Sango, Dream Koala, Yeek, and WOLFE de MÇHLS. “SoundCloud,” he says, “always felt like the underground.”