UPDATE 6/18/15 9:37 PM: A rep from SoundCloud tells The FADER that the limit will be on API play requests for third-party apps: "We will not be imposing a streaming limit on SoundCloud embeds – the daily rate limit just applies to API play requests...only a small number of developers will be affected by this change, and we’ll be reaching out to them directly."
SoundCloud has just announced a surprising new direction. The streaming site will be severely limiting their embeds on outside websites and third-party applications. Starting July 1, each embed will have a daily limit of 15,000 plays in effort to redirect people to their own platform, presumably so they can maximize their new advertising. SoundCloud, however, had a different way of explaining the shift: "As the ecosystem has grown, we’re dealing with an increasing number of applications that abuse creator content...This change is an opportunity for us to refocus our efforts and renew our commitment to developers." For more on SoundCloud's changes, revisit FADER's roundtable with five artists.