SoundCloud cuts ties with Next Big Sound over Pandora

SoundCloud will no longer be sharing its data with Next Big Sound, according to a tweet posted by the music analytics firm.

Next Big Sound was open about the lapsed partnership in a response to a client, who had asked why SoundCloud’s data was missing from their reports.

“We’re sorry to report that Soundcloud decided to stop sharing data with @nextbigsound last month,” reads the response from the official company account.

In a statement to MusicAlly, SoundCloud cited Pandora’s acquisition of Next Big Sound last May as the main reason for withdrawing its data.

“Since SoundCloud’s beginning we’ve focused on building an ecosystem where creativity thrives. That creativity includes developers who have built innovative services using SoundCloud’s API,” the statement read. “With the recent acquisition of Next Big Sound by Pandora, we have decided, as a normal course of business, that the time has come for Next Big Sound to discontinue using SoundCloud’s API.”

A US Pandora spokesman has told TMN that SoundCloud's departure was an expected move.

"This isn’t a surprise. We anticipated some changes to our list of partners might occur and we’re sorry to see them go. But nevertheless, Next Big Sound remains the single best platform for music data and insights, and we're excited to apply their expertise to both our own business and our clients.” 

Pandora acquired Next Big Sound last May, with the music analytics service stating at the time that business would resume as normal despite the change.

“As part of Pandora, we’ll continue to provide best-in-class analytics and enhance our platform with access to the umber one most requested data source: Pandora,” explained Next Big Sound in a statement on their blog.

“Clients, partners, and artists – rest assured it’s business as usual at Next Big Sound.”

SoundCloud is a major player in shaping Next Big Sound’s reports. Last week, TMN reported that the streaming service tracked almost 5 billion plays in May; a figure doubled from the previous year and 5x that of the year prior.