Subject: Commercial use approval request — Control4 smart-home integration (API app "Botive Music for Control4")

[Murraymint1981]

Hello,

I'm the developer behind the registered API application "Botive Music for Control4" (registered on this account, which holds an Artist Pro subscription). I'm writing to request approval for a commercial use case under the API Terms of Use clause covering "other cases that SoundCloud may approve from time to time."

What the integration is: Botive Systems (UK) builds licensed software drivers for Control4, a professionally-installed smart-home platform. This driver lets homeowners browse and stream public SoundCloud content — DJ sets, mixes, independent artists, podcasts — through their existing whole-home audio system, using only official API endpoints.

Compliance by design:

Streaming only — no downloads, offline access, or caching of audio.
The access field is respected: preview-only tracks are never played in full.
Every now-playing screen credits the creator, names SoundCloud as the source, and displays the track's soundcloud.com URL. (These touchscreens have no web browser, so a tappable backlink isn't technically possible — I'd welcome your guidance on satisfying the attribution requirement on screen-limited hardware.)
The experience is SoundCloud-only, not mixed with content from other services, and contains no ads or in-app purchases.
Commercial model: the driver is sold once, to the dealer or homeowner, as integration software — the same way Control4 drivers for thermostats or lighting are sold. Nothing SoundCloud offers is resold: no charge relates to SoundCloud content, features, or accounts. Version 1 plays public content via client credentials; a later version may add user sign-in (OAuth) so listeners can access their own likes and playlists.

My requests: (1) confirmation that this use case is acceptable for commercial distribution; (2) guidance on the attribution/backlink requirement for browserless devices; (3) the right contact for rate-limit arrangements if the product scales.

Happy to provide the client ID, screenshots, or a demo. Thank you for reopening API registration — it's what made this product possible.

Best regards,
Ben Murray
Botive Systems
info@bkmsolutions.co.uk
bkmsolutions.co.uk

[dankinsoid]

Same question here for a different use case - a playlist/library transfer service, which the API FAQ says needs explicit approval. I've opened a Help Center ticket (#4882224) as the docs suggest, but since self-serve registration launched there's no visible path for these approvals. @dpreussler - is there an owner for this now?

[dpreussler]

@Murraymint1981 can you also open a support ticket and post the ticket number?
@dankinsoid I'll look into yours tomorrow! 🙏

[dankinsoid]

Thank you!

[dpreussler]

@Murraymint1981
While waiting for the ticket, here som further questions:
what authentication are you using? For playback we prefer the actual user logging in
https://developers.soundcloud.com/docs/api/guide#authentication
This will enable them to see the plackback in their listening history for example. Also with anonymous playback you might hit rate limits very fast.

Here some resources for attribution and logo: https://developers.soundcloud.com/docs/api/buttons-logos
In general: mark our content and have ability to link them back to SoundCloud