Everything you should know about SoundCloud for artists

Any rising artist knows how difficult it is to get their music exposed to an audience, especially without a third-party distributor. Monetizing it is even more challenging. For those with a passion to create music and who want to make a viable business from it, services like SoundCloud are designed to help.

SoundCloud hosts user-generated content (UGC), making it one of the best music streaming services for indie and community-created tracks. The service is designed to help musicians distribute and monetize music as well as connect with their growing fanbase and most loyal fans. With the right subscription under SoundCloud for Artists, musicians can even enjoy unlimited uploads to share all your creations with fans, and plenty of other benefits. But how does it all work?

How to get started with SoundCloud

To get started with SoundCloud, visit Soundcloud.com from a computer or the SoundCloud app on an Android or iOS mobile device and select “Upload your own” from the homepage menu then “Upload your first track” (or Start Uploading Today then Upload in the top, right corner of the page.)

You will need to first create an account or sign in using existing credentials (Facebook, Google, or Apple ID), but limited use of SoundCloud is free. Drag and drop your audio file and add relevant information including title, genre, description, caption, and even custom artwork. Go through the pages of details to add as much (or as little) as you like. (The more details you add about yourself and your music, the better). Tap Save and you’re done.

What is SoundCloud For Artists?

SoundCloud For Artists, which launched in 2022, is a marketing and distribution service for musicians that takes the experience a step further, allowing artists to connect more closely with their fans and monetize their art. It’s a central dashboard for handling distribution, promotion, and monetization.

There are two tiers of service for artists: Next, formerly known as SoundCloud Basic and Next Pro, previously Pro Unlimited. At $8.25 a month or $99 per year (a discounted rate for the first year), Next Pro is considered the best plan for artists. It offers unlimited uploads, advanced profile controls, and the ability to promote your tracks. With First Fans recommendations, your new tracks can be heard by up to 100 listeners. You also have the option to distribute your music on 60+ more social networks and streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, TikTok, and others.

It includes advanced fan insights and custom listening reports, like what tracks your biggest fans are listening to most. Your music will be tagged with a Premium profile badge as well, showing that you’re serious about your craft. Everything is accessible from the streamlined dashboard.

The Next tier is free and allows you to upload up to three hours of tracks, share private tracks with collaborators, post public tracks, hear from fans, and receive basic fan insights. But artists looking to make a career from their music will want to upgrade to access to the most advanced tools and features.

Features to know about

New fan engagement tools

Launched in May 2023, one of the latest additions to SoundCloud for Artists is a Fans tool, designed to help artists identify who their most valuable fans are and directly communicate with them. These fans are determined based on their listening behavior, comments they leave on tracks, how often they share content, and their location. Artists can send direct messages to these loyal fans, keeping them up to date on new and upcoming releases, sending details about merchandise, tickets to live performances, getting feedback on new music, and more. The idea is to help artists engage more with their top fans while also providing added value to the fans themselves. Fans can opt out if they don’t want to be contacted.

SoundCloud followed that up with a tool called First Fans in June 2023, an autoplay algorithm that uses AI technology developed by Musiio to suggest music to subscribers. The purpose is to help prevent songs from getting lost in the mix: with SoundCloud welcoming 30 million music creators (as at 2021) and 130 million registered users, it’s easy for tunes to get very few plays simply because of needle in a haystack visibility. A suggested song will include a newly uploaded track and will be recommended to about 100 users with music preferences that match. This increases the chances of your music being heard by more SoundCloud users.

The prevent songs from reaching bots versus real people, the user must physically play the song before it gets a recorded listen. Plus, First Fans only introduces these tracks to users based on activity and listening history, which eliminates the possibility of bots being the recipient. This can help artists expand their reach in the competitive market.

Extra perks

A SoundCloud For Artists subscription also comes with exclusive offers from partners like Splice, Serato, and Tracklib, along with three free Mastering credits, powered by Dolby, each month. More recently, SoundCloud partnered with Squarespace, Adobe, Discord, and Rap Plugg for additional member benefits.

With Squarespace, you can access music-themed domains with extensions like .band. Create music-focused websites to further promote your brand and to serve as another place to showcase your music, engage with fans, and sell custom merchandise.

Rap Plugg is offering more than 30 free courses to both SoundCloud Next and Next Pro subscribers. These courses are delivered by industry experts who have worked with popular artists like Drake, Rihanna, Jay Z, Lil Baby, and SZA. Their advice can be invaluable in helping to push your career forward.

With regards to Adobe, SoundCloud artists will receive a 20% discount on Adobe Premiere Pro as well as access to a trial version of Adobe Express Premium. This software can be used to make unique album and website art, work on band photos or head shots, and create compelling artwork and promotional materials for social media. This involves the use of generative AI as well, one the latest features in Adobe Photoshop.

Monetization

For monetization, the Next Pro subscription offers permanent release distribution with regular royalty payments, access to a YouTube Content ID where you can be paid any time your music is listened to on YouTube, and monetization on SoundCloud through fan-powered royalties as well SoundCloud payments based on fan listening habits. Easily split royalty payments among collaborators. You can also access the SoundCloud for Artist’s promotional toolkit, which includes SoundCloud Radio on the satellite radio streaming service SiriusXM.

What is First on SoundCloud?

First on SoundCloud is one of many ways the platform aims to help artists reach their full potential in the music business. Now in its fifth year, the program shines a spotlight on artists they believe have that “it” factor: they’re rising talents who are going places. This recognition comes in the form of an accelerator whereby the artist labeled as a rising talent will receive tools and resources to help them jump to the next level.

Now including artists from around the world, not just in the U.S., some of the most recently chosen First on SoundCloud artists include DJ Dave, Wolfacejoeyy, Nitepunk, Simone, and Sojabrat. Among the benefits they receive include beta access to new tools, mentorship opportunities with industry professionals, and even equipment to help them create more music, provided through a partnership with Sony Audio.

What about users?

Your music is accessible to millions of SoundCloud users. Those who want to visit SoundCloud and listen to music from independent artists can sign up to listen for free, or choose the SoundCloud Go plan for $4.99 per month (7-day free trial), which includes ad-free and offline listening. The top tier option for fans is SoundCloud Go + (30-day free trial), which is $9.99 per month for access to the full catalogue of music, the ability to mix tracks within select DJ apps, and high-quality audio. Students get SoundCloud Go+ for 50% off with valid ID.

It's easy to see how SoundCloud is the go-to place for aspiring musicians looking to get their music out there to more people. Fan feedback can be invaluable in helping you create better music that will engage with listeners. Promoting yourself through various platforms and monetizing the art you have worked so hard to create is the ultimate testament of success. SoundCloud For Artists is a useful tool for any musician looking to break onto the scene.

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