We’ve concluded together with SoundCloud that 8tracks playlists will soon no longer be able to access SoundCloud tracks through the SoundCloud API. There are two important dates to note:

• July 24th: You will no longer be able to add tracks directly from SoundCloud when creating an 8tracks playlist.  In addition, any previous uploads that had been supplanted with a SoundCloud track will revert to the original upload.
• September 30th: SoundCloud tracks can no longer be streamed from existing 8tracks playlists, and any playlists that fall below the 8-song minimum will no longer be playable on iOS and Android (until additional tracks are added).

We are thankful for your hard work in creating amazing playlists on 8tracks. We want to keep tracks and playlists playable, while making the transition as easy as possible for you. More than 96% of all tracks included in playlists today will not be impacted by this transition. Here’s how we’ll address the remaining 4%:

• Matching SoundCloud tracks to our music Library and replacing them — so that you don’t have to. We’ve already matched 90% of the SoundCloud tracks played over the last 6 months.
• Signing additional deals with labels to add more music to the Library. Over the past 6 months, 8tracks has directly licensed music from some of the most popular labels in the world (9 million tracks). We expect to have more music available for creating playlists by the time the transition is complete, providing further coverage for missing tracks and unplayable playlists.
• Notifying you at the end of August of what playlists and tracks will be affected. During September, we will continue to match more music to the growing Library, and DJs will have the option to add tracks to playlists that have been impacted.

We’re sorry that this may create work for you; the only assignment we’d like to give you is to dance and smile. We’ll work as hard as we can to preserve your playlists. Below is a list of questions we expect you might have regarding the transition, along with our responses.

FAQs

1. What’s the SoundCloud integration?

2. What’s going to change?

3. When is this happening?

4. What does this mean for my playlist that has SoundCloud tracks?

5. What does this mean for 8tracks?

6. What will happen to the playlists that no longer include 8 playable tracks?

7. What will happen to the tracks that I’ve favorited on 8tracks that show up on SoundCloud?

8. Can I still favorite tracks and have them show up in my SoundCloud?

9. If I’m a SoundCloud artist and I still want my music on 8tracks, what can I do?

10. I love 8tracks. How can I help?

11. Why are you waiting until August to tell me which songs will be replaced?

1. What’s the SoundCloud integration? Both SoundCloud and 8tracks have benefit from an integration introduced nearly 5 years ago, allowing 8tracks DJs to search for and add SoundCloud tracks to their playlists. 8tracks plays an important role in exposure for independent artists, and the SoundCloud API has helped drive this objective.

2. What’s going to change? We’ve together concluded that the time has come for 8tracks to discontinue use of SoundCloud’s API. We have been preparing for this event by signing direct deals with labels and distributors, amassing more than 9 million songs in our Library so far. We’ve been working with SoundCloud to ensure a smooth transition, as we scale back our streaming of their content in the the coming months.

3. When is this happening? As of today, SoundCloud will no longer be available in the 8tracks playlist creation choreography. As of October 1st, listeners will no longer be able to stream from 8tracks playlists those SoundCloud tracks that were not matched to our licensed content library.

4. What does this mean for my playlist that has SoundCloud tracks? Roughly 96% of all tracks included in playlists will not be affected. The remaining 4% of content will need to be replaced, and we’re going to help you do that. Here’s how:

• We have already begun to match tracks originally selected from SoundCloud to those available in our Library; we expect to match 90%+ of all SoundCloud content
• We will continue to license music to expand the Library and will replace SoundCloud tracks that are currently unmatchable, when possible, with the objective of returning each playlist to its full, original tracklist
• All DJs will receive an email in August that includes links to the playlists and specific tracks that we are unable to match at that point

5. What does this mean for 8tracks? Over the last year, we have launched and grown our Library, which now includes more than 9 million tracks from independent labels and artists. We are committed to growing this Library and expect to have more label deals to announce soon.

6. What will happen to the playlists that no longer include 8 playable tracks? As of October 1st, if a playlist still falls under the minimum number of tracks, it will no longer be playable — except on the 8tracks website using YouTube. However, we’ll maintain the playlist and, as tracks continue to be added to the Library through direct label deals, we will match the new available content. Once a playlist reaches the 8-track minimum, it will be available again for streaming on our mobile apps.

7. What will happen to the tracks that I’ve favorited on 8tracks that show up on SoundCloud? Nothing. Those tracks will still show up in your favorites on SoundCloud.

8. Can I still favorite tracks and have them show up in my SoundCloud? Unfortunately, no.

9. If I’m a SoundCloud artist and I still want my music on 8tracks, what can I do? We’ve recently partnered with a number of labels and aggregators to populate our Library. If you already distribute your music through one of them (listed here and here), you’ll be available in the Library, now or soon. However, if you do not distribute your works through one of these aggregators, we’d encourage you to consider TuneCore, which provides a relatively inexpensive way for artists to make their content available on multiple digital music platforms, including 8tracks. We also are planning a way for artists to directly upload songs into the Library. Please enter your email below if you’d like to be notified when an upload option is available.

10. I love 8tracks. How can I help? We love you too. If you’ve published a playlist on 8tracks, please look for an email from us in August; we’ll identify playlists and tracks that we’re still unable to match. While we’ll continue to enter into direct deals with labels and aggregators to provide further matches and coverage, we encourage you to replace any remaining SoundCloud tracks with songs from your personal collection, at your option.

11. Why are you waiting until August to tell me which songs will be replaced? We want to save you from unnecessary work. There are millions of songs we have already licensed but have yet to identify and match. It will take us some time to complete all of this, but once it’s complete we’ll notify you, leaving you at least a month to make any necessary edits to your playlist.