Quote Originally Posted by Robh3606 View Post
Hello

How do you get downloads of files?? It's great for streaming but not if you want anything beyond MP3 how do you source them on that platform??

Is it a Premium feature to be able to download files??? Am I missing something??

Rob
It is complicated (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundCloud) but Soundcloud is, for users, a streaming service. It has options for musicians providing content, but streaming by nature does not offer downloads except to be stored on a streaming device and played back by their own software. Amazon Music HD, for instance, does not sell content outright but Amazon retail does. I do not think Soundcloud has an associated store of any sort, but I do not know. It nonetheless is a huge business.

Buying music for me is an old school channel and I still prefer buying directly from the artists, but it depends if the artist's website handles the sales or farms it out to a third party vendor. In the first case the money goes right to the musician, and many will sign any purchases even (in some cases) without being asked to. The closer the online operation is to a merch table the better I like it. I am poor but music is very important to me and there is no better use for my money than supporting musicians I like. If you dare, check out what it is really like to be in an unsigned band in this excellent documentary from Toronto. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DBsh087l6E) If you have heard of a musician, they are already further along than nearly all ever get.

Still, while always possessing physical media is the ideal, not all streaming services are as bad as Spotify about compensating artists and hearing their work online does allow for a much larger selection to enjoy than anyone could otherwise manage or afford. I suspect Bandcamp and Soundcloud are much, much more responsive to the needs of musicians than the major streamers are. Of the big commercial streamers, Napster (Rhapsody Inc.) has always paid better. This all matters to me because I listen to mostly newer music, probably not a pattern likely common here.