Sony Music has announced that it is to pull a handful of artists, including Passion Pit, Hozier, Miguel, MS MR, Leon Bridges, Adele and Kelly Clarkson, from Soundcloud after a fallout in negotiations between the two companies.
Sony hasn’t revealed exactly why it has done so, but a relevant big wig has allegedly told Billboard the takedowns are due to “a lack of monetisation” pathways for the company who operated on an income close to $500m last financial year. This move by Sony means a weird twist for Leon Bridges in particular, as his efforts on Soundcloud led him to being signed by Sony Music.
Last November, Soundcloud announced a deal with Warner Music Group, one of three majors of the music industry, alongside Sony Music and Universal. It’s unclear how the negotiations with Universal, which are still taking place, are faring.
Sony’s move away from Soundcloud comes at an interesting time for the Berlin-based streaming service, in light of the announcement of On Soundcloud and the company’s $29m loss in FY 2013.
