One question we sometimes get asked is: “What makes Songbox different to services like Dropbox & Soundcloud?”
If you’re here, chances are you already know what Songbox is all about. Maybe you’re already a committed Songbox user. If so, thank you!
Maybe you’re thinking about signing up, but want a better idea of why Songbox is a better choice than Dropbox for sharing your audio files. Or if you’re already a user, maybe you want to be able to better explain to your friends and colleagues why Songbox is your go-to.
Here’s why we, and our users, know that Songbox has the edge over services like Dropbox and Soundcloud.
Songbox v Dropbox
- Using Dropbox, you share the file itself – which means they are out there and potentially being shared with anyone. With Songbox, you send a private link (via email or text message) that only the recipient can play. They cannot download your file, unless you want them to.
- Dropbox doesn’t include detailed listening analytics. With Songbox, you know who has listened, what tracks they’ve listened to, and for how long.
- You can’t share playlists with Dropbox. Every track you share via Dropbox needs to be opened in its own window. Songbox gives you full control over how you share your tracks. One at a time, or in a playlist – it’s your call.
- There is no security built-in to a Dropbox shared file. Songbox includes multiple layers of built-in security. Nobody will hear it unless you want them to.
- Songbox gives you the option of attaching lyrics to each track. You can also attach a PDF to your playlist, containing anything from a press kit to liner notes. Clever, right? We know what musicians find useful.
Songbox v Soundcloud
- SoundCloud puts restrictions on the type of audio files you can share, and limits the file quality (even with a Soundcloud+ subscription). With Songbox, you choose at what quality your listener hears your track, and choose your preferred file type. Think about what that means if you’re sharing early mixes, for example.
- Our users say Soundcloud’s help system, though comprehensive, is long and time consuming. In comparison, Songbox’s simple, self explanatory platform means you’re unlikely to need much help at all. However, our pop-up help flags have proven to be a hit with users. And if you do need more hands-on assistance, we’ll respond quickly.
- Soundcloud’s user interface for your audience can be trying, with one Songbox user describing it as “messy and confusing.” In comparison, that same user says Songbox’s interface is “elegant and simple” with “classy and inviting” features. That’s music to our ears!
- Getting started with Songbox is easy. It does the things that people who work with audio files need, and it does them very well. Soundcloud has many, many features and one of our users says he’ll likely never use most of them. He describes setting up Soundcloud for his purposes was a “steep learning curve.” Not so with Songbox, which he says works “beautifully.”
So there you have it. Songbox was designed and created by a musician who has also worked in tech and on the media side of the music business. Our founder Michael Coll knows exactly what features are important to music creators, and he also knows what end users want when they’re reviewing audio files.
Best of all, Michael listens to Songbox users and is very responsive to their questions or suggestions.
Now you know :-)
