Though he has just crossed the Atlantic and grabbed only a few hours of sleep on the plane, SoundCloud’s Eric Wahlforss is very pleased to be in Dublin once more. “It’s got its own unique vibe, and has really become a space where people can meet and share resources.” Now on his second year at the Founders Conference alongside fellow net royalty Twitter, Netflix, YouTube and Skype, the young entrepreneur has a canny insight into the complex, ever-evolving worlds of music and technology.

Wahlforss cites Lorde, the New Zealand singer who has recently emerged from almost total obscurity into worldwide fame, as one example of many artists whose careers take off with SoundCloud. Lorde’s first track appeared on the platform a year ago. “It didn't have much traction at first,’ he explains, ‘but a few months later it was literally everywhere.”

Eric is an innovator, pushing for a responsible, considerate and respectful middle ground between extremists like Pirate Bay and those who dismiss the concept of free music altogether. How? By handing the power to the artist. He says “we’re totally anti-illegal music sharing. One of the goals of SoundCloud was to create something better than that experience. Empowering artists is absolutely key for us; give them the tools to experiment with new things.”

And it is fearless experimentation that brought him to where he stands today. “We’re proof that if you’re a little bit aggressive and spot and opportunity you can make it happen, no matter how lacking in contacts and experience you are….we just dove in and hoped for the best.”

Read about Eric’s inspiring career, and his predictions for the world’s technological future, in the latest issue of Hot Press.