Synchronized comment timelines are nothing new, and are particularly popular in Asia (referred to as "danmaku") where language "density" (meaning per pixel) is higher. However, it's very challenging to get this to work for general English-language comments, as other comments in this thread indicate. Perhaps timed emoticons would actually be better suited. Regardless, it's far from clear that SoundCloud has the optimal implementation of this UX pattern, and I don't think that SoundCloud's demise would mean the end of innovation on that pattern.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-20907-4_...

> Danmaku comment is a comment technology that overlays user comments directly on the video and creates a co-viewing experience. It originates from Japan and becomes increasingly popular on video sharing sites in China, particularly among the young generation. This exploratory study investigates reasons for watching Danmaku videos through two focus group studies. The results show that the users who watch Danmaku videos found it a way to entertain themselves, to be in company, to have the sense of belonging, and to seek information. Those who do not watch Danmaku videos, however, complained about the abundance of information, the imperfect information quality, and the look and feel. We summarized scenarios suitable for Danmaku commenting from three perspectives: the content, the complexity of information, and the number of viewers. Possible improvements and new applications of Danmaku commenting were discussed.

https://books.google.com/books?id=MAUqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA512&lpg=...

https://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/hicss/2016/5670/00...

Dear lord, no. That feature is not ever anything but annoying.

I have actively spent a good amount of my free time finding or maintaining chrome addons to block that garbage. It's the most inane and vacuous product feature I've come across and that's ignoring that it used to be so badly optimised that changing the comment caused a noticeable browser slow down

On the other hand, it's really useful to know that DragonSlayer69 thinks 0:41 of this song kicks ass.

If you're a producer or DJ, it actually is incredibly useful.

What is a "comment timeline"?

I assume they are referring to the feature in which users comment at specific times in the song. As the song plays, these pop up on-screen.

I think Facebook does that now with live videos.

Useless feature imo. SC was better without it (noticeably faster load times). How much server cost do they save if they eliminate comments?