SoundCloud Debuts Its New HTML5 Widget, Looks So Much Better Than Old One

This morning, popular audio platform SoundCloud is debuting its brand-new HTML5 widget which will now be offered in beta format alongside its current Flash widget, but will eventually replace it. The completely redesigned widget allows SoundCloud users to embed their recordings and uploads on their blog or website, view information about the sound, its creator, the likes, comments and plays, and easily share the sound to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Also, it just looks way, way better.

SoundCloud says the new widget was redesigned to encourage more interactivity around the sound itself and with the listener comments. The timed comments are now more usable on this version of the widget, at the request of SoundCloud users. Before, they would pop up over the track as conversation bubbles. In the new widget, they appear beneath the track in a much more readable format.

This first public beta includes the social sharing options noted above, but subsequent versions will include even more social elements. When you click the share button on the top-right, Facebook (Likes), Twitter and Google+ are featured, but smaller icons for Tumblr, Facebook (Share), Reddit, StumbleUpon, and email are available below. The link and embed code are also provided.

Because the widget is now built on top of HTML5 technology, SoundCloud will be able to add more features at a faster pace going forward, the company says.At some point in the future, this new widget will replace the Flash version entirely.

The HTML5 widget is already live on some Sony Music artists’ pages, including Britney Spears and Big Time Rush, as well as on the Tumblr for Wattpad, a social network for readers and writers.

Below are screenshots (not embeds) of the old Flash widget (top) and the new one (below).