Listening to music on Soundcloud is very easy. Create an account, and in less than 30 seconds you'll have access to all kinds of genres. Many users appreciate the fact that it works in the browser without needing external plugins, but the idea of a local client is definitely attractive. That's how we come to the doors of Soundnode, an open source software in full development with the ability to turn Soundcloud into a very polished clone of Spotify on our desktops.
Why Soundnode?
If when listening to music online you want to escape the ultra-commercial radar and expose your ears to something different, one of the most suggested stops is Soundcloud. Original content, mixes, covers... all that and much more can be found in the service's streams, at no cost. Still, an asterisk on its record is that it doesn't have an official application for desktop systems. Soundcloud explored that territory with great success, but in January 2011 they decided to shut down development efforts due to resource constraints. Fortunately, Soundcloud has a good API, which means any interested developer can create a compatible application on their preferred platforms. That said, let's make room for Soundnode.
Using Soundnode
Download the build compatible with your operating system, dump its contents into a temporary folder, and run the program, that's it. Soundnode borrows some elements from Spotify, but its interface is much simpler and cleaner. On the technical side, its developer Michael Lancaster explains that the Soundnode client was built with NW.js, Node.js and Angular.js, although a trained eye will probably also detect the Chromium Embedded Framework. The program has full support for native keyboard shortcuts in Soundcloud, and honestly, it works much better than we imagined.
Availability and Community
Soundnode is available for Windows, OS X and Linux in both 32 and 64 bits. Statistics on GitHub speak of more than 30 thousand downloads and a thousand new users per day, a clear sign that the client has been well received among Soundcloud fans. I hope the project manages to stay afloat, and if you think you can share something (be it code or reporting bugs), don't hesitate.
