Chance on SoundCloud

The unexpected cuts SoundCloud made last week only saved the company enough to operate “until Q4” — which begins in just 80 days”, said Co Founders Alex Ljung and Eric Wahlforss (CEO/ CTO respectively). With such an aggressive timeline, and a rattled workforce remaining, SoundCloud needs to raise capital immediately. That is where Chicago native, Chance the Rapper comes in. Chance, widely recognized as “the model” for independent artistry tweeted this past week that he, “had a very fruitful call with Alex Ljung. @SoundCloud is here to stay.” Chance credits the platform with his early success and could be the perfect evangelist. Read more here.

Spotify Secures Sony Licensing Deal

Spotify and Sony reached a licensing agreement this week, which is effective immediately. This agreement comes after a similar agreement Spotify struck with Universal Music Group in April of this year. Under the terms of the UMG agreement artists have the ability to hold their “new releases” from free tier listening. Ultimately translating to a lighter royalty payment for Spotify. As the digital music terrain continues to form, concessions like these are creating a financially viable relationship between the labels and listening platforms . Spotify is also looking to strike a licensing agreement with Warner Music Group. To read more as Spotify approaches IPO check out the link.

Facebook GIF Comments

The more visuals the better, or so it seems. Facebook reply threads now give users the ability to comment with GIFs with the tap of a button. While Facebook has been testing the feature for two years, until now users had to enter the URL of a GIF hosted somewhere else. The GIF button makes the process a lot easier, especially for mobile users. Read more here.

4:44 & Entrepreneurship

“A million dollars worth of game for $9.99” – JAY-Z, The Story of O.J.

For quite sometime Jay-Z has held the keys to success in his clutches, and his fourteenth “#1” album only furthers this notion. Throughout his career he has always put an emphasis on maturation and with each of his albums he has demonstrated the importance of this growth. While there is no denying his latest work was a voyage into “new waters” sonically, the fast flowing deep thought Jay-Z has long been known for, is clearly intact and advanced. 4:44 an action packed, ten track album that lasts for 37 minutes. Listen here.

Courtesy of LineForLine. Artists get started here.