In a move that will likely displease SoundCloud, Spotify has launched a trial system allowing artists to directly upload their music to the streaming platform.

The system is currently in its beta stage and is only open to invited artists for now. Uploads were previously generally done by major labels and other outside services, but the new system could allow musicians to cut out the middleman.

While only certain artists are being given the privilege to use the system at present, it is expected that it will eventually be available to everyone using the Spotify For Artists service after the trial period. Invited artists are able to set release dates for themselves and keep up-to-date with their uploads' statistics to track royalty earnings.

There's no date yet on when Spotify plans to launch the system more widely.