Soundcloud wants win markets and continue independent

(Bloomberg)--the SoundCloud is getting more revenue, expanding and focusing on the development of a sustainable business for the music startup based in Berlin can remain independent, said Eric Wahlforss, one of the founders, without explicitly deny the rumors that the company is for sale.
The Go, a subscription-based streaming service created seven months ago, is nurturing the growth of sales and advertising agreements, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Wahlforss, without giving details. The SoundCloud plans to take Go to new countries, he said, that mentioned Germany and South America as potential targets in a long list of possible markets.
The SoundCloud created the Go, which costs $ 10 a month, in March to face the challenge to generate reliable revenue with your existing online platform nine years ago, in which musicians and DJs can upload music and share them with the listeners.
Thus, the company began to compete directly with streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music--while strengthening a base of about 175 million users and stimulate advertising contracts, said Wahlforss. Today, Go is in seven countries, like USA, United Kingdom and France, and the SoundCloud expands the service at that rate or even faster, he said.
"The growth is extremely good in relation to the users, but particularly in terms of revenue, because we are also implementing advertising in all these markets," said Wahlforss, Chief Technology Officer of SoundCloud, who declined to provide specific numbers.
Rumors of acquisition
As the Go products, which offers streaming without advertising and greater access to songs to about $ 10 a month, fueled speculation that the SoundCloud is a takeover target.
In July, Bloomberg News reported that the owners of the SoundCloud were considering a sale that could evaluate the company at $ 1 billion and, last month, the Financial Times reported that Spotify was in advanced negotiations to buy the SoundCloud.
Wahlforss would not comment these reports. Queried whether the company wants to remain independent, the co-founder says that this is indeed your goal.
"After all, also as founder, that''s where you''re going," he said. "The desire is to have something completely sustainable and a company that works well. Obviously, that''s what we''re focused. "
The SoundCloud is also talking with one of its main investors, Twitter, "on several levels" on ways to collaborate, for example working with the artists, said Wahlforss. The SoundCloud picked up about $ 70 million of Twitter in June as part of a round of funding of about $ 100 million--that evaluated the company around $ 700 million, said a person with knowledge of the subject at the time.
The goal of bringing the Go for an average of a market or more a month suggests a constant need of funding. Although Wahlforss has refused to comment on the financing plans, he said that it takes "a lot of investment" to launch new products and markets.