The SoundCloud Renaissance: Why Independent Artists Are Going Back to Basics

It's 2025 and SoundCloud is cool again. Not in the nostalgic, "remember-when" way — but in a genuine, artists-are-choosing-it-over-DSPs way.

The reason is simple: freedom. On SoundCloud, there's no algorithm deciding who hears you. No playlist editors to court. No 30-second skip penalty affecting your revenue. You upload, people listen, and the music speaks for itself.

For artists like Onyx Saint and Zephyr Jones, who both built their initial fanbases on the platform, this return to basics represents something bigger than nostalgia. It's a rejection of the streaming industrial complex.