S

SoundCloud

Music streaming with ads and subscriptions

Backend Engineer - Media Streaming

Full-Time
No salary listed
Mid
Berlin, Germany
Hybrid
Software EngineeringBackend Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 4 years of experience building and operating large-scale backend or distributed systems.
  • Proficiency in Go.
  • Hands-on experience with infrastructure as code using Terraform.
  • Experience with cloud-native environments such as AWS or GCP.
  • Experience with microservices, SQL or NoSQL databases, and container technologies.
  • Knowledge of continuous delivery, defensive programming, automated testing, and clean code principles.
  • Ability to navigate ambiguity in fast-moving environments.
Responsibilities
  • Build, scale, and maintain backend APIs and services that serve millions of users.
  • Collaborate with Android, iOS, web, and full-stack engineers to deliver end-to-end media experiences.
  • Ensure the performance, scalability, and maintainability of SoundCloud services.
  • Debug complex issues across systems to ensure a consistent experience for users globally.
  • Participate in architecture discussions, code reviews, and roadmap planning.
  • Participate in an on-call rotation to ensure system reliability and availability.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience designing APIs and backend services consumed by multiple client platforms.
  • Experience with Scala or other functional programming languages.
  • Knowledge of API communication patterns such as gRPC and GraphQL.
  • Exposure to media streaming, playback, audio engineering, or adjacent domains.
  • Familiarity with audio/video codecs, streaming protocols such as HLS and DASH, and transport container technologies.
  • Experience using AI-assisted development tools and understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and emerging opportunities.

About the company

S

SoundCloud

View
cbWebsite

Platform: SoundCloud offers digital music streaming that lets users listen to music online for free and through paid plans. It hosts a library with over 265 million tracks for listeners, artists, DJs, and creators. How it works: free tier streams with ads; premium subscriptions (SoundCloud Go and Go+) provide ad-free listening, offline access, and higher audio quality. Artists can join SoundCloud Premier to monetize tracks via ads and fan support. Differentiation: a very large, diverse library including many independent creators, plus an artist monetization program that helps creators earn money directly on the platform. Goal: connect music lovers with a broad catalog while giving creators a way to earn revenue, growing both user base and revenue through ads, subscriptions, and creator monetization.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Series G

Total Funding

$568.7M

Headquarters

Berlin, Germany

Founded

2007

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • August 2026 Artist Plan at $3.25 monthly lowers creator adoption friction.
  • Direct music purchases and Fan Support expand non-streaming revenue beyond royalties.
  • The Upload and Twitch Sessions push curated discovery while algorithms feel stale.

What critics are saying

  • February 2026 lawsuit alleges 29.8 million-account breach, threatening trust and fines.
  • Bandcamp, Spotify, and YouTube already own larger listener graphs and discovery.
  • Weak direct-sales adoption leaves SoundCloud dependent on subscriptions and ads, repeating Nina's collapse.

What makes SoundCloud unique

  • August 2026 zero-commission downloads let artists keep 100% of sales.
  • July 2026 Nina acquisition adds editorial archive and genre-map discovery.
  • March 2026 Twitch partnership and February follower releases deepen creator-fan relationships.

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Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as mental health resources
  • Robust 401k program
  • Employee Stock Ownership Plan
  • Generous professional development allowance
  • Interested in a gym membership, photography course or book? We have a Creativity and Wellness benefit!
  • Flexible vacation and public holiday policy where you can take up to 35 days of PTO annually
  • 16 paid weeks for all parents (birthing and non-birthing), regardless of gender, to welcome newborns, adopted and foster children
  • Various snacks, goodies, and 2 free lunches weekly when at the office

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

0%
Inven Global
Oct 9th, 2026
Riot Games and SoundCloud launch remix contest for True Damage's Worlds anthem.

Riot Games and SoundCloud launch remix contest for True Damage's Worlds anthem. Oct 9, 2026 Riot Games and SoundCloud have launched a remix competition for 'Know My Name', the True Damage song chosen as the official anthem of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. According to a release, the campaign opened on October 9th, with Riot making the track's official instrumental stems available to download on SoundCloud. Stems are the individual layers of a recording, such as the drums or bass, which producers can pull apart and rework. SoundCloud is a music streaming and sharing platform where artists upload their own tracks, while Riot Games is the developer and publisher of League of Legends. League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in which two teams of five characters, known as champions, try to destroy each other's base. True Damage is a virtual hip-hop group set within the game's universe, and it debuted seven years ago with the single 'GIANTS'. 'Know My Name' marks the group's return. How to enter the remix contest. Riot has left the brief open. Vocalists can record an original verse over the instrumental, while producers are free to move the beat into another genre or rebuild it from scratch, with the release describing the track as an 'open canvas' for entrants. "We put everything we had into 'Know My Name'. Now, we wanna see what you can bring to it," Ekko, one of True Damage's members, said in the release. Ekko added that creators could "add your own verse, flip the beat, remix it, tear it apart, and build it back up however you want to make it yours." Entry runs entirely through SoundCloud. According to the release, entrants need to: * Download the stems from the official Riot Games x SoundCloud Remix Hub * Unlock access to the files, which are hosted for subscribers to SoundCloud's Artist Pro plan (non-subscribers can claim a free trial with the code KNOWMYNAME26) * Create a track using the stems, whether by adding vocals, chopping up the parts or producing a new version * Upload the finished track to SoundCloud with the hashtag #KNOWMYNAME26 between October 9th and October 28th Submissions close on October 28th at 11:59 PM ET, which gives entrants just under three weeks. The release did not explain how the winning tracks will be chosen. What the winners will receive. The contest has one grand prize and two runner-up places. The grand prize winner will receive: * Two tickets to the 2026 League of Legends World Championship * True Damage Know My Name skins for the champions Qiyana, Senna and Yasuo * A True Damage 'Know My Name' seven-inch vinyl record Both runners-up will get the same three skins and the vinyl, but not the tickets. Skins are cosmetic items that change how a champion looks in League of Legends, and they have no effect on gameplay. Riot Games and SoundCloud in music. SoundCloud said the campaign is part of an ongoing initiative to give emerging artists and producers a 'low-friction entry point' and access to high-quality source material. Founded in 2007, the platform says it hosts over 400m tracks from more than 40m artists in 193 countries. Music is one of several ways Riot has expanded League of Legends since the game launched in 2009. Its other music projects include K/DA, and the company has also taken the game into comic books, board games and Arcane, its Emmy-winning animated series. The League of Legends World Championship, often called Worlds, is the game's annual international tournament. Riot describes it as the most widely viewed esports tournament, and it sits alongside the company's other major events, such as the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) and the Teamfight Tactics (TFT) Open. I write. I rap. I run. That's pretty much it.

Music Industry Weekly
Aug 27th, 2026
SoundCloud launches zero-commission direct download sales for artists.

SoundCloud launches zero-commission direct download sales for artists. August 27, 2026 SoundCloud has begun testing a feature that lets artists sell downloads directly from their profile pages, with the platform taking no cut of the revenue. The company says artists will keep 100% of sales made through the tool. The beta is limited to roughly 200 US-based Artist Pro subscribers who already have Fan Support, SoundCloud's tipping feature, enabled. A wider rollout has not been announced. The move adds another direct-to-fan monetization option alongside streaming royalties and tipping, as SoundCloud continues positioning itself as an artist-friendly alternative to major streaming services.

Interspace Music
Aug 27th, 2026
SoundCloud launches direct music sales for artists.

SoundCloud launches direct music sales for artists. SoundCloud has begun beta testing a direct music sales feature that lets artists set prices and sell downloads without platform commission. August 27, 2026 SoundCloud has started rolling out a direct music sales feature in beta, letting artists sell downloads to fans while the platform takes zero commission. The feature is currently available to 200 Artist Pro creators and will open to all eligible creators this fall. Artists can set their own prices and choose the download format. Sales information will appear in Artist Studio and the Fan Support Dashboard. SoundCloud says more than 250,000 artists on its platform have listed 2.4 million tracks for sale on other services. The company also directs more than 500,000 users to external stores each year. In a survey cited by SoundCloud, 28% of artists said they currently sell downloadable music or want to start. The company also notes that superfans spend up to five times as much on music as casual listeners. "Artists should be able to build their audience in one place, on one platform. SoundCloud has always been where artists find their first fans and build real communities. We're continuing to bring more of what they need to grow their careers into that same experience, while letting fans directly support the music they love." The statement was made by Eliah Seton, CEO of SoundCloud. August 27, 2026 Dolly parton's quiet soundcheck fix at dollywood recalled. August 26, 2026 Luminate adds AI music tracking to CONNECT platform. August 27, 2026

MGi Computadores
Aug 26th, 2026
You can now buy music on SoundCloud.

You can now buy music on SoundCloud. Wednesday, 26 August 2026 SoundCloud has launched a new beta feature that allows artists on the audio streaming platform to sell music directly from their profiles, instead of diverting fans to purchase from third-party services like Bandcamp and Beatport. The feature aims to give listeners a better way to support the musicians behind their favorite songs, because SoundCloud isn't taking any commission from these sales - meaning everything goes directly to the artists. By comparison, Bandcamp takes a cut of between 10-15 percent for sales, and artists on Beatport receive roughly 50-65 percent of their sale price. More than 250,000 artists have linked over 2.4 million tracks to external music platforms, according to SoundCloud, and the platform says it sends more than half a million users to external parties to purchase music each year. The ability to sell music will only be available to 200 Artist Pro SoundCloud creators in the US to start, with plans to expand access to all eligible creators later this fall. Fans can purchase music "in the format provided by the artist," according to SoundCloud, such as MP3 or WAV files. This new beta feature follows SoundCloud launching its All-in-One artists subscription in November last year, which gives creators 100 percent of their distribution royalties. The introduction of music sales is also part of SoundCloud's plan to evolve into something more than a service for streaming and discovering music, allowing its creators to "get heard, connect with fans, and earn-all in one place." (Originally posted by Jess Weatherbed) When you subscribe to the blog, Mgicomputers will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.

LSi Online
Aug 26th, 2026
PRG appoints new leadership roles.

PRG appoints new leadership roles. Published 26 August 2026 [USA] PRG (Production Resource Group), global provider of entertainment and live event technology solutions, has appointed Jennifer Caserta as chief people officer and Joe Simon as chief technology & information officer. Both will report directly to Lawrence Burian, CEO of PRG. These two appointments are part of the broader global strategy Burian laid out upon joining PRG as CEO this past April: strengthen the executive team, further align the company's global operations, and invest in people, technology and long-term growth. Caserta will oversee PRG's new People & Culture division, while Simon will lead the company's enterprise technology, systems and data strategy. They join PRG's C-suite alongside chief commercial officer Darren Pfeffer, who also joined in April. Caserta joins PRG from SoundCloud, where she served as the company's first CPO, building and leading its global People functions. As a key member of the C-suite, she elevated the company's approach to talent acquisition, organisational design, total rewards, leadership development, and people analytics, while helping drive a broader transformation of the company's culture to support business performance and growth. Before joining SoundCloud, Caserta held numerous leadership roles at AMC Networks and completed her tenure there as chief transformation and people officer. Her executive leadership experience also includes six years as President of IFC TV. Simon has more than 25 years of experience leading technology and operational transformation across media, entertainment and live events. Most recently, he advised leading media and entertainment companies on technology modernization and AI strategy. Previously, he served as chief information & technology officer at Entain, leading enterprise technology across more than 30 international markets, and COO of Encompass Digital Media, overseeing worldwide operations and engineering for the company's live events business. His career also includes roles as CIO/CTO at VICE Media, Univision, Condé Nast, and Viacom. Weekly news headlines. Get weekly headlines straight to your inbox!