"In the midst of global warming, an Alt-Right conservative uprising, a school shooting epidemic, and off the heels of the 2008 market crash came a nihilistic rap subgenre most commonly referred to as “Soundcloud Rap.” (Soundcloud Rap – Subcultures and Sociology; 2016). This new subgenre of hip-hop artists refers to the music-sharing platform "SoundCloud," which gained immense popularity in late 2014 due to its opportunities for artists to upload and share their music freely. "These SoundCoud artists took control of their own destinies, releasing their own music on SoundCloud, succeeding at a pace that the traditional music industry couldn’t keep up with." (Pierre, 2019).

Although SoundCloud, and the sub-genre of rap music it created, are widely recognized, most research either focuses on the platform itself or on the hip-hop genre it produced, with almost no research focusing on both phenomena simultaneously. Most research surrounding SoundCloud either focuses on the platform itself or on the hip-hop genre it created, with almost no research focusing on both phenomena at once. The recognition of the shift in music interaction facilitated by SoundCloud is immensely scarce. By changing the way music is distributed and circulated, SoundCloud influenced a change in the way individuals interact with music. In other words, it appears that SoundCloud changed the way individuals interact with and listen to music on a worldwide scale, influencing "global music interaction." 

The lack of research on this side of the coin makes me want to narrow down the scope toward this aspect. With this paper, I aim to answer the following question: How did global music interaction shift from McLuhan’s “hot” to “cool” media, and how was this shift facilitated through SoundCloud? To properly analyze this, I will utilize Post Malone's “White Iverson” as an example of this shift.

How did global music interaction shift from McLuhan’s “Hot” to “Cool” media and how was this shift facilitated through SoundCloud and White Iverson?

Verse 1: SoundCloud’s Primary Allure

In the past decade, hit songs like “Sunflower”, “Rockstar” and “Congratulations” have roamed the charts for weeks. The mastermind behind them is 28-year-old American Singer Austin “Richard” Post, better known as Post Malone. Before selling out tours, transferring millions of records across the counter and becoming one of the most-streamed artists of the 2010s, Post uploaded his music on the free-streaming-and-upload service called “SoundCloud”.

Founded in Stockholm by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss in 2007, "SoundCloud's original ambitions were relatively humble: It was built just to help music industry types share recordings with each other." (Van Buskirk, 2009). In 2009, the platform "secured an investment of €2.5 million from Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures in its first round of venture capital funding" (SoundCloud Closes €2.5M Financing Round, n.d.),boosting its popularity. By 2009, “the website was challenging MySpace as the dominant online music-sharing platform, and by 2011 it had ten million registered users” (Hubbles et al. 2017), growing to “175 million monthly listeners by 2014.” (Hubbles et al. 2017). Currently, "the service has more than 76 million active monthly users" (Smith, 2021) and individuals can interact with "over 200 million audio tracks" (Deahl, 2019). "Registration for accounts is free, and up to three hours of audio may be uploaded with a free account" (Hubbles et al, 2017).

The biggest song that emerged from SoundCloud is Post Malone’s break-out hit “White Iverson”. With over 400 million streams on SoundCloud alone, it marked “the first time an artist could achieve immense musical recognition through a free online streaming platform on the internet.” (Chivetta, 2017).

Uploaded on February 4th, 2015, “White Iverson” quickly grew, “earning over one million plays in just one month” (Lochrie, 2021). The song is the definition of “SoundCloud Rap” with “a proclivity towards (…) nonsensical repetition over substantial lyrical content” (Scheinberg, 2017) combined with “septum-pierced (…) melodic, sing-raps”. (Scheinberg, 2017). During that time, the song's embodiment of "SoundCloud Rap" deviated from the prevailing trends in the hip-hop landscape with the departure marking a distinctive shift from the mainstream conventions.

The song's success was largely due to “SoundCloud social interactive features” (Hubbles et al, 2017). As can be seen in the highlighted areas in Figure 1, the streaming service invites users to listen, comment, like, repost and share tracks, "fostering an online community through its inclusion of features (…) more commonly seen on social media.” (Verespy, 2022). “Users have the ability to comment on them <tracks> and easily share them to their own feeds" (Rindner 2021). These features allow users to participate in music circulation actively. “White Iverson” entrenched what distinguishes SoundCloud from other streaming platforms: its accessibility and social interactive features.

“White Iverson” entrenched what distinguishes SoundCloud from other streaming platforms: its accessibility and social interactive features.

Verse 2: Hot N’ Cool Media

Before establishing the global shift in music interaction, it is important to define two concepts. In his 1964 work "Understanding Media: The Extensions Of Man", writer Marshall McLuhan distinguishes between: "Hot Media" & "Cool Media". According to him, “hot media is that which engages one sense completely. It demands little interaction from the user because it ‘spoon-feeds’ the content. Typically the content of hot media is restricted to what the source offers at that specific time.” (Hot Versus Cool Media - Media Technology and Culture Change, n.d.). “Hot media are (…) low in participation by an audience” (McLuhan, 1964;32) Conversely, “cool media” is defined as “low-definition media that engages several senses less completely in that it demands a great deal of interaction on the part of the audience. Audiences then participate more because they are required to perceive the gaps in the content themselves. The user must be familiar with genre conventions to fully understand the medium."(Hot Versus Cool Media - Media Technology and Culture Change, n.d.).

Although these concepts were established decades before SoundCloud became prominent, they can still be adapted as a theoretical framework for the musical landscape. Before SoundCloud, the music industry and its major labels controlled the entire music production process, from selection to promotion to distribution. This control influenced the music music available to consumers on formats such as cassettes, vinyl records, or CDs. Listening to music in these formats can be established as "hot media" where the audiences play a passive role, consuming pre-packaged content with minimal effort required for interpretation or active participation. Additionally, the audience only engages the sense of hearing completely listening to music on formats like vinyl, CDs and cassettes.

In contrast, SoundCloud is reminiscent of “cool media” requiring active participation, interaction and utilization of multiple senses by users. Users can engage with audio tracks through comments, likes and shares, which fosters a dynamic and participatory environment. This encourages a higher level of engagement, with both creators and consumers playing leading roles in shaping the platform's content. In the following section, I will analyse this shift within the music interaction from “hot” to “cool” media, as captured by “White Iverson” on SoundCloud.

Verse 3: Music Labels as Tyrians

"Youth is largely a period of self-discovery with a part of that process being rebellion against the accepted norms of society" (Verespy, 2023). Every generation has its own “subversive youth culture on the fringes of the mainstream that exists to provide access to a rebellious ethos" (Roy 2019). In the 2010s this rebellious ethos was exhilarated through “SoundCloud Rap”. Originally, Hip-Hop/Rap music was “a reaction to the socio-economic conditions in Black and Brown neighbourhoods” (Sharpe, 2023). With the genre becoming increasingly popular, music labels realized that they could capitalize on it.

By the early 2010s, rap had fully emerged into mainstream American culture, but by doing so, major record labels moved “towards artists with less controversial public personas” (Verespy, 2022). During this time, profits in the music industry were down “due to the decreasing popularity and lack of physical media” (Verespy, 2022) and streaming had not yet emerged as a serious alternative to the profit-driven nature of the music industry. Due to this, “major labels were unwilling to take risks on unproven up-and-coming artists.” (Verespy, 2022). In this state, the role of music labels was essential and pivotal in not only the promotion of their artists but especially the development of their music. "The major record labels were able to use their oligopoly position and exclusive access to means of distribution, production and marketing to control the industry reaping the majority of the benefits." (Aspray, 2008, 451-453).-+

 "The major record labels were able to use their oligopoly position and exclusive access to means of distribution, production and marketing to control the industry reaping the majority of the benefits." (Aspray, 2008, 451-453).

Verse 4: “Hot Media”

In the context of the music industry, albums, singles, EP and other forms of music formats proposed by music labels can be considered "hot media". Music labels play(ed) a significant role by providing essential resources such as recording studios and financial support. However, this support often comes with a trade-off, limiting the creative freedom of artists and exerting control over distribution, production and marketing processes within the industry. By doing so, major labels influenced what music gets widely distributed to the public and thus ultimately shaped the music that the public consumes, restricting what “the source offers at that specific time.” (McLuhan, 1964).

The chokehold position, exerted by major labels, influenced the music that was made available to consumers on formats such as cassettes, vinyl records or CDs. Listening to music on them demands minimal effort from listeners and only engages the sense of hearing, thus being "hot media." Major labels influence these formats, determining what music gets widely distributed. The restrictive and low participation nature caused by leading music labels led to individuals congregating on the only place available to get their voices heard again, SoundCloud.

Verse 5: The Fertile Grounds of SoundCloud

In late 2014, SoundCloud with its accessible nature became the biggest attraction. After “White Iverson” was uploaded to SoundCloud in February 2015, it marked the first time “artists could achieve label attention or other musical recognition through a free online streaming platform on the internet.” (Chivetta, 2017). Instead of relying on music labels, artists could gain visibility through the social and interactive nature of the platform while still encoding their music with the aesthetic choices that cadre of artists, creating “a new avenue for music discovery, allowing artists to reach global audiences rapidly and organically." (Oliver, 2023).

Instead of artists desperately trying to reach record labels for notoriety, the popularity of “White Iverson” marked the first time labels prioritized reaching out to artists who were gaining attraction via online streaming platforms. This shift challenged the commercialized music industry which deemed capital over creative exploration, as its core value of creative exploration impeded the communities of practice within the musical landscape. At the heart of SoundCloud’s appeal was the fact it allowed "musicians (...) to <freely> upload their own content onto the platform without the need of a record label" (TwelveRays, 2021), which caused "listeners options to be not limited by the gatekeepers of the music industry, namely major labels", (Soundcloud Rap – Subcultures and Sociology; 2016). It exposed "power dynamics that favor parties entrenched in traditional industry roles" (Dunham, 2021, p;2). The autonomy, that “White Iverson” showcased, was a fundamental shift from the traditional industry model to a new model where creative exploration was deemed a priority, with capital being the second priority.

Although SoundCloud allowed individuals to upload their music and potentially become sensations, not everyone who utilized the platform achieved acclaim. The democratization of the platform also meant a flooded market with an abundance of individuals vying for attention. The sheer amount of content available on the platform made it challenging for every artist to garner the attention necessary to achieve broader success. While not every SoundCloud artist became a sensation, the platform's democratized nature allowed for a multitude of new voices to be heard.

Verse 6: "Cool Media"

According to McLuhan, audiences in cool media participate more in actively creating content of meaning “because they are required to perceive the gaps in the content themselves” (McLuhan, 1964). SoundCloud allows everyone with an account to make, upload and share their music with the world, allowing for a “high participation by the audience.” (McLuhan, 1964). Virtually anyone could (and can still) upload their music onto the platform with the absence of stringent entry requirements, democratizing the music production process as a whole. Whereas traditionally, music labels would spoon-feed content towards the audience as they determined what was distributed and thus heard on cassette, vinyl and CDs, SoundCloud’s low entry barrier offered an opportunity for audiences to participate in content creation themselves.

McLuhan’s idea of perceiving gaps in content in “cool media” also suggests that audiences actively fill or interpret aspects of the content themselves. SoundCloud, by democratizing music distribution, has provided users with new opportunities to contribute actively to the platform's content. This contributing ability has led to the introduction of unconventional genres and styles of (rap) music, like Post Malone’s “White Iverson”, that might not have found a place in the tyrannic traditional music industry. Engaging with SoundCloud requires listeners to actively interpret and find meaning in unconventional genres and styles.

To fully grasp and engage with this diverse content, users must be familiar with a broader range of genre conventions than those typically presented in the controlled environment of "hot media", an action that demands more social interaction. SoundCloud embodied this demand through its social interactive features which encourage multisensory engagement.

Instead of merely listening to the music, the platform encourages users to actively participate socially - e.g. through commenting, liking and sharing – something which fosters a sense of community and dialogue surrounding the music. It is through this social interaction that we can evaluate SoundCloud as a "cool media". Beyond passive listening, the platform' motivates users to actively participate socially, thus engaging several senses less completely. This social interaction not only fosters a sense of community but also initiates a dialogue surrounding the music where individuals can become familiar with the broader range of genre conventions and perceive the gaps in the content themselves. This multisensory user engagement and multifaceted interactions fabricated by SoundCloud stand in contrast to the more predefined, uniformed nature of the music landscape, breaking away from the passive consumption associated with “hot media”. 

As illustrated in figures 3 and 4, users continue to actively engage with the "White Iverson", even eight years after its original release. This ongoing interaction, exemplifies the essence of "cool media" and underscores it's significance its in transforming how audiences connect with and contribute to music content.

Chorus: Becoming One’s own Tyran

Even if the SoundCloud gold rush has subsided, "new musical movements will continue to originate and thrive on SoundCloud, because of the unique ways artists can directly connect with a community around their sound and expression.” (Rindner, 2021). Its low entry barrier and emphasis on social interactions allowed for diffraction from other streaming platforms but primarily empowered some artists to transition from obscurity to recognition.

Individuals no longer passively consume music through cassettes, CDs or vinyl dictated by major labels; instead, they actively participate in shaping the meaning of popular music through social interaction. This shift from passive consumption to active interaction signifies a transformative journey from the restrictive nature of “hot” to the participatory realm of “cool” media, with SoundCloud playing a pivotal role in reshaping and democratizing the dynamics within online global music distribution and interaction.

While physical spaces remain crucial in the music industry’s prominence, White Iverson’s legacy underscores the rise of thriving music communities and genres within digital spaces. Although not everyone who made a SoundCloud account achieved musical acclaim, the platform uniquely broke away from the corporate dominance of (digital) capitalism and revived the true essence of hip-hop music: providing marginalized communities with a voice.

Currently, SoundCloud is financially struggling. In August 2022, "the company announced that it was cutting approximately 20% of its workforce due, in part, to recent changes in the global economic landscape" (SeventhQueen, 2022). While the initial wave of SoundCloud Rap and its cultural impact remains undeniable, questions about the platform's ability to sustain its dominant and unique position in the musical landscape are relevant. The fact remains that the apparent transformation of interaction within the musical landscape from “hot” to “cool” media as signified by SoundCloud afforded individuals the opportunity to assume greater control over their creative endeavours, to become their tyrant.

References:

Aspray, William, ed. (2008). “File Sharing and the Music Industry.” In The Internet and American business, ed. William Aspray and Paul E. Ceruzzi, 451-91. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.

Breakout Artist: Rising Stars: Exploring the journey of breakout artists - FasterCapital. (z.d.). FasterCapital.

 Caramanica, J. (2017). "The Rowdy World Of Rap’s New Underground." New York Times (Online) Retrieved from: 

CalypsoRoom Editorial Team. (2023, 29 augustus). "The impact of music social networks on artist-fan interaction." CalypsoRoom. Retrieved from: 

Ciavatta, R. (2017, 6 oktober). "SoundCloud’s story". Medium. 

Deahl, D. (2019, February 13). Over 200 million tracks have been uploaded to SoundCloud. The Verge.

Dunham, I. (2022). "SoundCloud Rap: An investigation of community and consumption models of internet practices." Critical Studies in Media Communication, 39(2), 107-126.  

Grove, R. (2022, December 9th). "‘Stoney’: How Post Malone forged his musical identity." uDiscover Music.

Hot versus cool Media - Media technology and culture change. (n.d.-b).

Hubbles, C., McDonald, D. W., & Lee, J. H. (2017). "F#%@ that noise: SoundCloud as (A-)social media?" Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 54(1), 179–188.

Lochrie, C., (2021, August 29th). "Five of the biggest and best SoundCloud success stories." Tone Deaf. 

 Mackin, A. (2021, September 10th) "Before Soundcloud. Cultural History of the Internet."

McLuhan, M. (1964). “Understanding Media: The Extensions Of Man”.

Phillips, M. T. (2021). "Soundcloud rap and Alien Creativity: Transforming Rap and Popular Music through Mumble Rap." Journal of Popular Music Studies, 33(3), 125–144.

 Pierre, A. (2019, February 27th). How rap’s SoundCloud generation changed the music business forever. Pitchfork.

 Rindner, G. (2021, December 16th). "The History of SoundCloud Rap, a Face-Tatted vision of hip-hop’s future." The Ringer.

Roy, M. (2019.) “Soundcloud rap: what is rap’s latest genre?” YA Hotline.

Scheinberg, M. (2017, October 10th). "Understanding Soundcloud Rap." LNWY.

SeventhQueen. (2022b, August 25). How SoundCloud Changed Music. Recording Arts Canada.

 Sharpe, M. (2023, 19 januari). "What is hip-hop and why does it matter?" Academy of Music and Sound.

Smith, C. (2023, January 8). SoundCloud. DMR.

SoundCloud closes €2.5M financing round. (n.d.-b). Science|Business.

Soundcloud Rap – Subcultures and Sociology. (2016, 16 July). 

Van Buskirk, E. (2009, July 6). SoundCloud threatens MySpace as music destination for Twitter Era. WIRED.

Verespy, O. (2022, December 5th). "The what, how, and why of SoundCloud rap". ArcGIS StoryMaps.

Twelverays. (2021, May 17th). "How digital marketing is influencing music." Twelverays. 

Oliver, P. G. (2023, 29 mei). "TikTok’s impact on the music industry - inside the music industry." Medium.