When we started SoundCloud a few years ago, we had the vision of enabling people to create and share sound more easily and collaboratively.

Today, we’re more than thrilled to extend ten million Thank You’s to our 10 million registered SoundClouders.

Ten million is not just a number to us, it is proof that we’re not alone on our mission to unmute the web and it gives us goosebumps to know that more than ten million people from around the world have been finding value in SoundCloud in many different ways. As of today:

• Sound is mobile: Over 5 million official SoundCloud apps have been downloaded
• Sound is developing: Over 10,000 apps being developed on SoundCloud’s open platform. Recent additions include integrations with professional music creation software Pro Tools and Cakewalk.
• Sound is more than music: Over 3.3 million different tags show the breadth of sounds on SoundCloud, which now includes everything from journalists & bloggers (Robert Scoble, Mike Butcher), to publishing (Penguin Books UK), to education (Stanford).

Please join us to celebrate this huge milestone with us by listening to a ‘Story Wheel’, in which our co-founders Alex & Eric reflect on SoundCloud’s journey so far. Simply click the image below to access the Story Wheel.

Oh, and if you’d like to create your own Story Wheel to tell a story behind your Instagram photos, it all starts here.

Thanks, all. You rock.

Amir is a business developer who has joined the Platform team in San Francisco. He’s an East Coast native who has an unashamed love for Fresca and all things tech. This week please help me welcome Amir Shaikh to the team in San Francisco!

Hello! Thanks for doing this interview! Can you introduce yourself?

Sure thing! I’m Amir Shaikh, recent east coast transplant to San Francisco. I’ve been in Boston for the past few years doing my undergrad at Boston College and moved to SF the week after I graduated. Things that I love include tacos, great stories, new music, and fresca.

First, can you take a minute and let us know what you do at SoundCloud?

I work on the Platform team as a Business Developer. That means I connect with developers who are interested in integrating SoundCloud features (like sharing) directly into their apps, help them through the integration process, and manage their relationship with SoundCloud. I also work with the entire Platform team to make sure we have the best possible resources for our awesome developer community.

You are working from the San Francisco office is that correct? What do you love most about San Fran?

Yup! San Francisco is the city of beautiful views. When you first get here the hills can be a bit daunting until you realize how often you’re stopping to admire the scenery. After that, from the tech scene to the food scene, I think people here live with passion in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s absolutely inspiring.

How did you get introduced to SoundCloud and what do you love most about it?

I first came across SoundCloud when a friend posted a track on Facebook. Obviously the big orange play button and the waveform were standouts, but the timed comments blew me away. It was one of those rare ideas that was absolutely brilliant and completely accessible at the same time. I knew it was something special.

What are your favourite Sounds on the cloud?

Always a tough question, but recently I came across a German label called City Slang that I’m absolutely loving. These two tracks are the tops right now.

Can you give us a few reasons why it is great working at SoundCloud?

This goes back to what I said about San Francisco, but I’ve always loved that idea of living a life of passion. Everyone I’ve met at SoundClould is working on something they genuinely care about, is nurturing incredible hobbies outside of their jobs, and are always striving to find more ways they can better both themselves and SoundCloud. It’s a rare energy to be around and I feel super lucky to be part of it. Also the ping pong table 5 feet away from my desk is a nice perk.

Finally, do you have any fun facts about yourself that you would like to share?

I have a pretty unique way of sitting on the floor. It looks indian style at first glance but you sit with one leg on top of the other instead of crossed together. It looks totally natural but most people have a really tough time doing it. Also I’ve moved 7 times in my life, hoping to hangout in the Bay Area for a bit longer than my usual.

Where can we find you on the interwebz?

http://soundcloud.com/amir
http://twitter.com/amirshake

Sweet! Thanks Amir!

SoundCloud Voices is a new weekly Community feature focusing on new spoken word creators found on SoundCloud. It might be a podcast, radio show, audio book, interview, audio messages, a poem, anything! Keep an eye out every Thursday for a new post.

We’ve got two brilliant interview podcasts for you this week, both of which have a great pedigree in the podcast world and have just started using SoundCloud in the last couple of months!  Take a listen and follow them!

First up is Public Radio International’s Bullseye which in their own words “is your guide to the good stuff in culture”.   Jesse Thorn hosts in-depth interviews with brilliant creators, culture recommendations and irreverent original comedy. Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ to name a few and was formerly know as The Sound of Young America which he started in 1999 and has featured the likes of Simon Pegg, Judd Apatow, Flying Lotus, Werner Herzog, Phil Collins and Bootsy Collins to name a few.  It’s also part of the Maximum Fun podcast network which also features comedy podcast Jordan Jesse Go and Judge John Hodgman.  It’s a great podcast, featuring great guests and great cultural recommendations.  Take a listen below to his interview with Chris Lilley, writer of Summer Heights High and Angry Boys.

Next up is the slightly more adult but equally brilliant is The Gentleman’s Club with Caleb Bacon.  The Gentlemen’s Club with Caleb Bacon is a weekly interview show featuring goofy conversations with comedians, television and radio personalities, and live nude pornstars. This weekly show comes to you from Los Angeles free in MP3 each Monday. For Gentlemen, since 2009.  An by pure coincidence Caleb interviewed Mr Jesse Thorn from Bullseye in his latest episode which conveniently allows to save our blushes and not post an interview with a porn star!  Take a listen below.

If you are interested in trying out SoundCloud as a spoken word podcast platform, you can sign up for via this form. Successful candidates will be emailed with further details.