Assembled From the Streaming Pieces, Rather Than One Download
Importing a track from SoundCloud onto your website sounds like it should be one step: ask for the file, receive the file. It has not worked that way for a while, and the way it works instead is quite interesting.
Why there is no single file to fetch
Streaming services do not generally hand out one complete audio file, because a single file is trivially copied and redistributed. They stream instead, which means the track is cut into short segments and delivered one at a time, with a small index describing the order.
That is better for playback. A listener starts hearing audio after the first segment rather than waiting for the whole thing, and quality can adapt to the connection mid-track.
It also means there is no address you can request that returns the track.
What the import does
It reads the index, fetches each segment in order, and joins them back into one continuous file, which is then stored on your account and served from our own delivery network.
Two consequences worth knowing. Your track plays from your site rather than being embedded from somebody else's, so it keeps working regardless of what happens to the original. And it is a real file on your account, so it can go into reels and playlists alongside anything you uploaded directly.
What to expect when importing
An import takes a little longer than uploading a file of the same size, because it is many small requests rather than one large one. Import a set of tracks and let it work rather than watching it.
What comes across is the audio and the title. Artwork, descriptions and play counts do not, because those live on SoundCloud and your site has its own place for that information.
Related: connecting SoundCloud, how a connected account stays connected, the original integration and importing from Dropbox.
On where a reel belongs in the first place, the best places to post a demo reel. Create a free actor website.
