SoundCloud is Copying Apple & Spotify’s Curated Playlists

In yet another blow to SoundCloud’s paid SoundCloud Go streaming platform, the company has announced it is introducing curated playlists in response to the popularity of the feature on AppleMusic and Spotify (and the decided unpopularity of it on their own).

But there’s a unique twist: tracks on SoundCloud‘s playlists will only be selected from tracks submitted by SoundCloud Premier members, according to HypeBot. Those who do not participate in SoundCloud’s monetization program will apparently not be included.

Update: SoundCloud clarified that it’s only rolling out in beta to SoundCloud Premier members, “and will roll out to more creators in the future.” We’re happy to make the correction.

Among the playlists are “The Feed” which “curates an artist’s likes, follows and reposts”; “Noise and 808s” on hip hop, “Speed Bumps” on electro and more. “Music industry veterans” will be “your guides on the journey to discovery, using curation to tell the story of what’s happening in music communities on Soundcloud.”

Here’s an example of what one looks like.

As with other SoundCloud programs, the playlist feature is in beta and will “roll out to more creators in the future,” limited to SoundCloud Premier members.