SoundCloud has reportedly been struggling trying to monetize themselves. Early last year the company launched a new service called SoundCloud Go which was basically a subscription service that would give users access to more songs, although we guess it’s hard to compete against more established streaming platforms like Spotify who probably has a much larger catalogue to offer their customers.
That being said, it should note that neither Google nor SoundCloud have confirmed anything yet. The report suggests that SoundCloud could have a few companies interested in acquiring it, but Google is apparently the “favorite” amongst all of them. We’re not sure if this acquisition will go through or why Google might want SoundCloud to begin with.
It is possible that maybe Google just wants the company’s technology/patents or the talent behind the platform, as opposed to the actual service itself, but we’ll keep an eye out for more details in the future.