Do you remember the last time you tuned out the stress and pressure of the world with a pair of headphones and your favorite SoundCloud playlist? Was senior Graham Bright or sophomore Benjamin Fritz in it?
For those who aren’t “hip,” SoundCloud is an online audio distribution application where users can upload and promote their original music. The platform has quite boosted the artistic careers of Bright and Fritz.
Bright’s most famous songs out of his seven tracks on SoundCloud are “Routine” and “Whatchu Want,” both with more than 12,000 plays. “Routine” was released a year ago and “Whatchu Want” came out nine months ago. Most of his songs belong to the Hip Hop and Rap genre. His latest song, “New Addiction,” was released two months ago and currently has more than 4,000 plays. The same song on Spotify has received 30,000 plays.
Members of the school community such as freshman Rozhin Fadae support his music. “I think his songs are really good; my favorite is ‘Whatchu Want,” Fadae said.
Fritz goes by the stage name “Benspence,” and has a total of 20 tracks on the platform. Most of them are episodes that are part of “The Electric Playhouse,” which is a house music mix show performed by the 16-year-old. His most popular mix is “Power Up,” with almost 500 plays. Most of his music is in the Dance and EDM genre. Sophomore Izzy Perez says the music is really good. “He definitely knows what he is doing,” Perez said.
Others say that Bright’s music on SoundCloud and other applications such as Spotify will lead him to a successful future. “I think that he can go somewhere with his rap,” sophomore Jonathan Lee said.
Even though Bright said that SoundCloud gave him the freedom to experiment with different styles of music and see how people reacted to them; he also added that he likes streaming services better. “If SoundCloud shut down I would focus more on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. I prefer the streaming services because it allows artists to receive pay for the amount of plays they get,” Bright said.
Fritz says that if SoundCloud hypothetically disappeared it would not be the end of the world for him. In the end, he says that he achieves most of the promotion for his tracks through live shows like music festivals and parties. “I would still be performing at places like Ultra Music Festival, Moonrise and clubs all around, I would just post on every other social media platform,” Fritz said.
Students say the app can provide authentic content for people who are finding fresh new music, and in return artists on the rise can be noticed. Fritz stated that the application had helped him share his music with people all around the world.
Furthermore, Bright said it is an opportunity for beginner or undiscovered musicians to find their voice. “SoundCloud is for unheard artists to release their music on a widespread platform,” Bright said.
Monica Godnick
Staff Writer