SoundCloud Comes to Pinterest

SoundCloud, a site that lets you easily record and share audio clips, is taking its game to the next level. On Wednesday, the site announced on its blog and Tumblr that users can now "pin", or embed, sound clips in Pinterest. This comes on the heels of the news that SoundCloud clips will be integrated into expanded tweets. That specific feature is still rolling out, however, and is not available to all users yet. [caption id="attachment_13924" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="A screenshot of what a pinned SoundCloud clip looks like in Pinterest."][/caption] What is available immediately is the ability to pin SoundCloud audio tracks to Pinterest boards. There are two ways to embed an audio clip into Pinterest. You can either copy the entire URL into a pin or use Pinterest’s ‘Pin It’ bookmarklet. I tried to upload some tracks using both methods and didn't have much luck. Others, however, have not had a problem. A quick search of Pinterest showed many users were able to pin audio tracks from SoundCloud. One person who immediately tried out the new feature was Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs at Columbia University's J-School and a blogger at CNET. He routinely posts short interviews he's conducted to SoundCloud and now has made a board using those tracks. Although the feature has just been announced, some are already airing concerns regarding copyright infringement. Lexi Mainland, a social media editor at The New York Times, tweeted, "I love Pinterest, but it's not like it doesn't already offer enough opportunities for piracy." Her tweet included a link to SoundCloud's post on Pinterest. The SoundCloud blog post reassures users that they don't have to worry about copyright: When you pin a sound on Pinterest, it’s artwork will be displayed alongside your other pins, and the SoundCloud HTML5 widget will launch when the pin is clicked, perfect for listening whilst you browse. Shared sounds are fully attributed, and link back to their page on SoundCloud, so creators will always be credited. So, the jury may be out on the issue of piracy and attribution. But if you are a journalisy who already uses SoundCloud and Pinterest, this combination might a great feature to try out. Imagine you have a really long interview with someone. You use some of their best quotes in the story but not all of them can make it in. If you recorded the interview, and have your interviewee's permission, why not cut the audio into smaller chunks and upload the best parts that didn't make it into the final story to SoundCloud. You can then make a Pinterest board, include the audio clips, and add a whole new dimension to the story that doesn't exist in the print/online version. What do you think about pinning SoundCloud clips in a Pinterest board? Would you try it out or are you concerned about piracy/copyright infringement?

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SoundCloud Comes to Pinterest

Elana Zak

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Elana Zak