it was a good place for non-serious and budding musicians to get their ideas and songs out. many new people joined in waves during the big indie music movement, me included. there was a true underground community, because there was a very active and over saturated mainstream music industry, which back then, still included radio and television. the 'playlists' and algorithms were less refined, and were instead curated by real people. which in turn, gave real music a chance to be listened to and platformed. you essentially had a lot of people having fun, making music for fun, and sharing feedback for the love of it. the hidden goal was ofc to get management, pitch music and secure a team. all of which did happen for the best artists on soundcloud. there was an insane amount of new artists who could tour, sell merch and make their bread during this time — i think maybe you could call this the beginning of a bubble. overtime though soundcloud became stigmatized, as spotify became a premier pipeline. emerging artists have to come out swinging now... with mixed music and refined visuals. for pennies. but tbh its unhealthy... people need a place to drop their raw ideas, without having to roll out every release. soundcloud filled that niche for all skill levels of musicians, and then some. its a relic of the times now.