SOUNDCLOUD STORE NEEDED A SHOPIFY DEVELOPER TO MODERNIZE THEIR THEME AND IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY

About SoundCloud Store: SoundCloud Store is the official merchandise platform for SoundCloud, supporting the company's mission to empower creators and connect fans with artist merchandise. In its infancy, the store aims to elevate core functionality and build a strong foundation for ambitious creator-support initiatives.

The project: SoundCloud needed to execute a "punchout list" of improvements including product badges, currency selector, footer UI cleanup, and enhanced functionality—foundational work to support their growing vision of helping creators monetize through merchandise.

The challenge was finding someone who could balance speed with quality on tactical improvements, think beyond the immediate task list to suggest better architectural approaches, and stay engaged post-launch to ensure everything worked perfectly.

We matched them with developers who could quickly execute straightforward improvements while thinking strategically about scalability, communicate clearly about technical tradeoffs and implementation options, and provide thoughtful solutions when initial plans needed adjustment.

SoundCloud chose Daniel Paul, a Shopify developer with strong technical fundamentals and collaborative approach, who delivered their complete punchout list, then provided ongoing post-launch support and creative problem-solving for their "pay what you want" feature exploration.

THE WORK

Phase 1:

Punchout List ExecutionThe first phase focused on tightening the theme’s visual structure. Adjustments were made to header and footer and the currency selector was rebuilt to fit SoundCloud's exact specifications.Product swatches were reworked as well to improve the store's usability. A new metafield-driven system was established to allow SoundCloud to comfortably manage the content and styling of product badges.

Overall, this phase turned a set of scattered interface quirks into components that feel like they belong to the same system. Variant navigation became more intuitive, merchandising signals more deliberate, and the theme stopped fighting against its own defaults.

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Phase 2:

Post-Launch Support & Problem-SolvingThe second phase shifted into structural fixes and practical decision-making. Some fixes were applied and an exploration into a “Pay What You Want” system showed the limits of the Shopify ecosystem. Several workarounds were mapped out, but with unreliable apps, hard caps in Shopify’s tipping feature, and a custom build that would demand significant effort, the feature was ultimately deprioritized due to weak user demand.Further small refinements rounded out the phase. A hidden setting responsible for inconsistent “Sold Out” text was corrected before it could confuse customers.

The result was a steady rhythm of post-launch maintenance: targeted fixes, careful technical evaluation, and small but meaningful quality improvements.

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"Daniel’s attention to detail, timeliness, and communication is unmatched. He not only completed our project ahead of schedule but also went above and beyond by researching and recommending alternative solutions we hadn’t considered. His technical acumen paired with his focus on understanding the intention behind our goals, not just the immediate problems, was truly impressive. In the end, he delivered flawlessly and demonstrated exceptional care even after implementation. Daniel truly felt like a part of our team, and we look forward to collaborating with him on future projects."

—Harrison Oyler, Associate Product Manager, SoundCloud

"Working with Harrison and Grace was fantastic. They had a clear vision for what they wanted but were also open to discussing technical tradeoffs—like when we realized collection pages would work better than the custom headers. I especially appreciated their willingness to explore the 'pay what you want' concept together, even though it didn't end up being viable. That kind of collaborative problem-solving is what makes projects rewarding."

—Daniel Paul, Shopify Developer, Storetasker

FINAL RESULTS

• Delivered complete punchout list ahead of schedule and under budget
• Implemented custom badge system with flexible metafield-based color control
• Built functional international currency selector with proper z-index architecture
• Enhanced product tile UX with larger, clickable color swatches
• Improved footer layout and mobile logo display
• Set up GitHub integration for safe version control and deployment
• Provided ongoing post-launch support fixing recurring issues
• Conducted thorough research on experimental "pay what you want" feature
• Built foundation for SoundCloud Store's future creator-focused initiatives