mixcloud.com
With new music streaming services being released all the time, it can be hard to distinguish oneself from the masses and appeal to a niche audience?to stand out as a unique and necessary service. It is not enough to simply stream songs anymore. That has been done, time and time again. Nowadays, if you want to make a music streaming app, you need to have some kind of unique edge; you need to do something that nobody else has done before or at the very least, do it in a way it has never been done before.
Additionally, they offer features such as the ability to listen to music offline and the option to purchase songs directly from the website.
One avenue that people have tried to take in order to accomplish this is by attempting to bring radio into the digital age. Some people have attempted to do this by simply offering a live stream of local radio stations. And others have taken elements of the radio listening experience and embellished or improved upon them, making the most of them in our modern age. Examples of this would include iHeart Radio or Pandora. They allow listeners to create custom stations tailored to their own unique taste and interests, with features such as the ability to listen to music offline and purchase songs directly from the website.
We've come to expect new things from radio in 2020, but what we find most refreshing is the innovative approach to music that some new sites are taking. Sites that go beyond just streaming songs and albums and offer something new and exciting.
I am discussing the Mix Cloud streaming service which is new and interesting in the world of music streaming services.
On Mix Cloud, users can spectate their favorite radio shows and listen to them while on the go. This service has allowed a dying art form to flourish and become more popular than ever before.
The problem with radio programs of the past was that they were dependent on your locality, limiting you to only a few choice shows. Mix Cloud, though, makes it possible for anyone, anywhere to tune into independent radio shows from around the world and broadcast their own as well. So let's explore how Mix Cloud came to be.
History
CloudMix, a lean startup, was founded in 2008 by Nico Perez, Nikhil Shah, Sam Cooke, and Mat Clayton.
The site experienced a rapid increase in users over the past five years, with over three million active users as of October 2017 and 500,000 registered users through Facebook. This success has led to a licensing deal with Warner Music in October of 2017. Mix Cloud appears to be continuing on its trajectory of growth unabated.
Design
Finally, Mix Cloud incorporates a number of video features which are useful for both promoting your music and for hosting your own videos.
Can you please help me describe the design of Mix Cloud's website? It's a cross between SoundCloud and Facebook, which means it has a gentle blue and white theme with a very prominent news feed at the front and center. However, it's an audio streaming app, so when you click into profiles, you'll find a list of playable audio files. The site also incorporates video features which are useful for promoting your music and for hosting your own videos.
One of the site's main features is its intuitive user interface. This makes it easy for anyone who is already familiar with social networking sites and/or sites like Sound Cloud to use the site. When you log in, you will see a right side news feed with a few suggested people to follow. The more people you follow, the smarter these suggestions will become. Additionally, on the left side of the main page you will find a site menu bar and user toolbox. This includes options such as Feed, New Shows, Favorites, History, Listen Later, Playlists, and Trending.
Absolutely anything you need to access on this site can be done easily and quickly without having to search for any information or go through any tricky steps. That's what I like about the site design, especially since it can be easy for visitors to get lost down a rabbit hole with little effort. It's always reassuring to have quick links back home.
Content
On the other hand, if you are someone that likes to ease into a song before jumping into the next one, then Mix Cloud may be what you are looking for.
This is where MixCloud differentiates itself from all other music streaming services on the market. In the nature of its content, it is a very unique format that MixCloud caters to, so, beware that it may not be for everyone. If you are the type of person, for instance, that likes to be in full control of what you are listening to at all times, from one song to the next, there is a good chance that MixCloud will not be for you. On the other hand, if you are someone that likes to ease into a song before jumping into the next one, MixCloud may be what you are looking for.
Mix Cloud is a community of DJs, radio show hosts, podcasters, and listeners who are looking for new programming ideas. If you think you have what it takes to put together a block of radio programming that is mostly music or mostly talking, Mix Cloud is where you can put yourself to the test. See how many fans you can amass by submitting your idea.
Mix Cloud is a great platform for amateur DJs and podcasters to gain experience and potentially finance their radio dreams. In fact, if you are talented and savvy enough, you could potentially finance your radio dream via Mix Cloud, as it enables for crowdsourced funding. So, not only can people simply follow your page like a social media account, but if they really like what you do, they can subscribe to your content for X dollars per month (the broadcaster sets the price).
This is another way in which Mix Cloud is different from any other music streaming service out there; it takes advantage of crowdsourcing, which is great news for DJs, hosts, and podcasters. But it is also great news for listeners because you don't have to pay for the service generally, just the content you genuinely enjoy and want to support.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
I am a huge fan of desktop experience. I find it to be a great example of intuitive site design, which is not always easy to pull off when your site also has a social media component to it. You can easily just roll your Facebook account into a Mix Cloud account, too, which is very convenient.
The app, while attractive, has some flaws. The design is good and easy to use, but there are many glitches that detract from the listening experience.
Some times, for instance, pausing a mix will result in you losing your place in the mix. This means that you have to manually scrub through to find where you were before you paused. This is one of those flaws that seem very basic and should have been addressed long ago.
Pricing and Plans
Mix Cloud is a freemium service that allows its users to access certain features at no cost, but they must also accept advertisements. The free version of the service contains restrictions, such as a 2-week limit on how many shows they can listen to and having to view ads.
The premium version of Mix Cloud, which costs $7.99 per month, eliminates all of the limitations of the free version and also allows users to see tracklists of radio shows upfront before they play them.
Suggestions that I have for Mix Cloud
The main suggestion I have for Mix Cloud is that they fix their app. I want to be able to enjoy my favorite radio shows on the go with no glitches, especially if I pay money monthly for this service. This is, in my opinion, unacceptable.
I believe that it would be beneficial for Mix Cloud to have the ability to stream and download individual songs outside of listening to shows. Warner Music Group currently has a partnership with Spotify, so it would make sense for Mix Cloud to explore similar deals in order to provide its users with a wider range of options. If I could only listen to Mix Cloud without ever having to switch over to Spotify, that would be amazing.
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