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Instagram Helped 18-Year-Old Producer Land Beats on Drake’s New Album

Wondagurl
 
Back in 2013, we shared a story about a 16-year-old who produced “Crown” on Jay Z’s album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. Now 18, WondaGurl is back in headlines after producing two tracks on Drake’s surprise album, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.
 
WondaGurl told MTV this past weekend that she sent “Company” directly to Travis Scott, who ended up co-producing the track. However, she leveraged the power of social media to get “Used To” placed on the album.
 

“I made the beat at my house and then I finished it at a studio. When I finished it, I sent Drake a video through Instagram, through the Direct Message that they have on there. I sent him the video and asked, ‘Would you rap on this?’ He said it was really hard, but to send it. So, I sent it and it turned into [‘Used To’].”

 
With production credits for Jay Z, Travis Scott and now Drake under her belt, WondaGurl’s dream of working with Kanye West certainly seems like a possibility.
 
Listen to the tracks below:
 

Related: Jay Z’s ‘Crown’ Produced by 16-Year-Old from Canada

Twitter Introduces Embedded SoundCloud Player

Twitter
 
Twitter just made it easier for creators to share music and other types of audio with fans. The company introduced audio cards yesterday, a new feature that enables users to play audio directly in their timeline on both iOS and Android devices.
 
Throughout the listening experience, users can dock the audio card and keep listening as they continue to browse inside the Twitter app. The feature was launched in partnership with third-party streaming services and SoundCloud is the first to implement it.
 
So far, only a small group of artists have audio cards but SoundCloud says they’ll be available to everyone soon. Current users include David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Chromeo, Migos, among others.
 
Both Guetta and Chance the Rapper have already taken advantage of the feature by sharing new tracks:
 


 
Related: SoundCloud Introduces Advertising for the First Time

Twitter Reportedly Considering Buying SoundCloud


Twitter is reportedly considering a deal to buy SoundCloud, according to tech news website Re/code.
 
The streaming service describes itself as the “YouTube of audio” and claims to have 250 million users.
 
SoundCloud is currently valued at $700 million, based on a $60 million round of funding earlier this year. If a deal goes through, it would mark Twitter’s most expensive acquisition ever.
 
Last year, Twitter introduced a music app called “Twitter Music,” which was intended to help users discover new artists and songs. However, the service was pulled in March due to a lack of consumer interest.
 
In addition to its failed music service, Twitter’s lack of user growth is also a thorn in its back. The company’s stock recently took a beating when its first quarter growth failed to impress some investors.
 
We’ll be watching this story closely and provide updates as they unfold.
 
Related: SoundCloud in Licensing Talks with Record Labels

Billboard and Twitter Partner to Create Real-Time Charts


Billboard and Twitter announced today an exclusive, multi-year partnership to create Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts.
 
The charts, which will launch in the coming weeks, will show the top tracks being discussed at the moment and over an extended period of time on Twitter, as well as the most discussed and shared songs by up-and-coming artists.
 
Billboard and Twitter’s partnership marks the first real-time charts on Billboard and continues their integration of new media music consumption in its chart rankings.
 

“We’re partnering with Billboard to create a ground-breaking chart to track the conversation around music as it happens. This means when artists share songs and engage with their audience on Twitter, the buzz they create will now be visible to fans, other musicians and industry decision makers in real-time.” – Bob Moczydlowsky, Twitter

 
Related: JAY Z & Beyonce Top Billboard’s Power 100 List

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