Machine Shop

Author: Anthony

  • New: Audius support

    Audius tracks are now fully supported throughout Hype Machine! This means that when sites in our index share Audius embeds, they will show up on our website and in our apps (just like tracks hosted on SoundCloud, Bandcamp and Audiomack do).

    Audius is a decentralized music service launched in 2019 that is exploring alternative ways to support independent musicians and get their music heard. 

    To get started, here’s a feed of the most recently posted Audius tracks.

  • We’re 15!

    This is our 15th year on the web! Wow.

    Hype Machine is a lot like the three of us when we were 15—completely obsessed with music, and always online. We listen to different stuff now, but that drive to keep searching for new music, through different genres, across decades, recommended by people we’ve never met who share our tastes, that hasn’t changed. If this is where you find your music, chances are, you feel the same.

    Hype Machine is here today thanks to the support of our listeners, who kept the service going when we were sure we’d have to shut it down. The community came together and said, there’s still more music to discover. And if that’s important to you too, become a supporter and help us celebrate our next birthday.

    Thanks for listening,
    Dave, Zoya, and Anthony

  • State of Hype Machine’s Crowdfunding: Year Two

    Welcome to our yearly State of Hype Machine’s Crowdfunding update. We’ve been doing this for over two years now, and would like to share with you…

    This post is only available to Hype Machine supporters. View post →

  • Funding Q&A

    Three months into our funding campaign, we have been encouraged by the outpouring of support. A lot of work is still ahead: while we’re now over 3,000 supporters strong, your contributions remain key for us to invest in new features and improvements to our mobile apps.
    We noticed that some of our supporters occasionally had questions before signing up. I’ve gathered a few that have come up frequently, hopefully these can clarify a few details.
    Q: What happened? Why are you running this campaign?
    A: Over the years, we had primarily been funded by banner ads. Today, ad spending has mostly shifted to a handful of larger sites/social networks. But that doesn’t mean Hype Machine should stop working—there’s still more new music to find!
    Q: I already bought your app. Why should I pay again?
    A: Thanks for buying the app! These one-time payments helped its development at the time, but they can’t support our company in the long term.
    Q: Weren’t you bought by SoundCloud?
    A: No, we have no financial relationship with SoundCloud. They do host a lot of the music that people are writing about, though, and we have supported their embeddable players since 2008.
    Q: Can you bring back offline mode? What about Sonos integration?
    A: We’ve had to remove offline listening from our iPhone app, and make changes to Sonos functionality at SoundCloud’s request. One way to continue listening offline is to sync your favorites with a premium SoundCloud or Spotify account and listen to the playlist in those apps. The playlist will be automatically updated as you find new tracks on Hype Machine, and you can play it on Sonos as well. Link your accounts here.
    Q: Where will the money go?
    A: All of the subscription revenue goes to pay for servers (20%), salaries and health care for our team (80%). As more supporters join, we’ll be able to invest in improving our mobile apps and building new features.
    Q: What do I get as a supporter?
    A: No ads, access to a supporter-only group playlist, stickers at the $6+ level, and Hype Machine will keep running and making new stuff.

    More questions? Check out an article discussing this campaign in The Outline, and ask away.

    If you’ve enjoyed our work, become a supporter.

  • Our iOS App is Now Free

    For the first time since it’s release in 2011, Hype Machine for iOS is available for free in the App Store!

    Here’s what’s new in this release:

    We’ve added an easier way to read blog posts when playing a track: just swipe up on the artwork to see the list.

    There are a few other changes: we’ve removed the offline mode to comply with SoundCloud’s Terms of Service. This update also makes it easier to jump to your synced favorites in the SoundCloud app—tap the button on your profile screen.