SoundCloud is a popular online audio sharing platform that allows musicians, podcasters, DJs, and other creators to upload, record, distribute, and promote their original content. Founded in 2007, the service has quickly grown to become one of the largest communities for audio creators worldwide.
More than 175 million people use the app every month, and more than 76 million of them are registered users with accounts.
SoundCloud offers a wide range of options for musicians, podcasters, DJs, and audio content lovers. The main features of this platform include:
Audio download and distribution. The service allows you to download an unlimited number of audio tracks in high quality for free. The resource supports various audio formats, including MP3, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, and others.
Creating playlists. Users can create their own playlists of their favourite tracks and share them with others. This is a convenient way to organise and share your content.
Interaction between users. SoundCloud has a commenting feature that allows listeners and artists to interact and share their opinions directly below individual tracks.
Subscription to artists. Users can subscribe to their favourite artists to receive notifications about new audio content.
Built-in recording studio. SoundCloud offers a built-in recording studio that allows users to record and edit audio directly in the app or on a website.
Analytics. The platform provides statistics and analytics to track progress, audience reach, number of listens, and engagement.
Social media integration. SoundCloud integrates with other social platforms. This way, you can engage in monetization in YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, making it easy to share your content.
Content monetization. The platform offers several monetization options, including advertising, track sales, fan funding, and premium subscriptions.
Availability of a mobile application. SoundCloud has user-friendly mobile apps for iOS and Android, allowing users to listen to, download, and interact with their content from anywhere.
These diverse features make SoundCloud a powerful platform for musicians, podcasters, and audio content creators, providing them with the tools to showcase, distribute, and monetize their work.
SoundCloud is used by a very wide range of audio content creators and music lovers. Here's who uses the platform most actively:
Musicians and artists. For many artists, especially independent or emerging ones, SoundCloud has become a key platform for publishing their works, attracting fans and interacting with the audience. Representatives of nearly all musical genres — from pop and rock musicians to electronic, hip-hop and experimental musicians — actively use this resource.
DJs and remixers. SoundCloud is very popular among DJs. They use the platform to publish their sets, mixes, and mash-ups.
Podcasters. Thanks to the ease of uploading and distributing audio, SoundCloud has become home to a variety of podcasts on topics ranging from news to business to scientific discussions.
Sound engineers and producers. Professional sound engineers and music producers often use SoundCloud to showcase their skills, portfolios, and attract new clients.
Radio stations and labels. Many radio stations and record labels have SoundCloud profiles to promote their artists and their content.
Amateurs and beginners. SoundCloud has become an excellent platform for amateurs, beginners, and those just starting out in the music industry to publish their first works and build a fan base.
Music critics and bloggers. Critics, reviewers, and music bloggers listen to and review new music using this service, helping to identify new talent.
Music platforms. Many music services and platforms, such as Spotify, have official SoundCloud profiles to promote their content.
Thus, SoundCloud brings together music industry professionals, amateurs, podcasters, and music lovers in one environment to publish, explore, and enjoy audio content.
SoundCloud offers many benefits for musicians and content creators, as well as for listeners and music lovers.
Benefits for musicians:
The service allows you to upload an unlimited number of tracks for free, making it accessible to musicians of any level;
Musicians can easily interact with their listeners through a system of comments, likes, and reposts, collecting feedback and building a loyal fan base;
Popular artists and record labels are constantly monitoring new talent on SoundCloud, so the platform can become a springboard for young artists;
The resource provides detailed analytics, including data on the number of listens, downloads, demographic information of listeners, etc., helping musicians understand their audience;
Talented musicians can earn money from their content through premium subscription programs, download sales, and streaming;
SoundCloud makes it easy to find and collaborate with other musicians, remixers, and producers.
Benefits for listeners:
The platform features millions of songs from well-known artists and unknown talents in all genres;
The service helps listeners discover new music through personalised recommendations and suggestions based on their interests;
Listeners can leave comments, like, repost their favourite tracks, and create playlists by interacting with music and artists;
The availability of mobile apps for iOS and Android allows users to enjoy music anywhere;
Many artists publish their works exclusively on SoundCloud, giving listeners access to unique material;
Users can create their own playlists of their favourite tracks and share them with friends.
As a result, SoundCloud offers attractive opportunities for both musicians looking to distribute their work and passionate listeners looking for new and exciting music content.
This platform offers several ways for musicians and creators to make money from their content through account monetization. Here are the main options:
The SoundCloud Premier program is a monetization platform that allows creators to earn money by adding ads to their tracks. To do so, you must meet certain criteria, such as having a certain number of regular listens. Revenue is generated by playing ads before or during track playback.
Selling tracks and albums. Through the integrated direct sales tool, musicians can sell individual tracks, EPs, or full albums directly to listeners on SoundCloud. They can set their own prices.
Content streaming. SoundCloud allows creators to create paid access to their works through the SoundCloud Go+ feature. Listeners pay a monthly subscription fee for access to the artist's catalogue.
Crowdfunding and fan funding. Fan-funding tools, such as SoundCloud's Support, allow artists to receive donations from their fans in the form of one-time or regular payments.
Monetization through podcasts. Podcasters can monetize their content through affiliate programs and advertising.
Collaboration with brands. Popular artists and influencers often enter into sponsorship deals with brands to create specialised content, get mentions on social media, etc.
Royalties from audio streaming services. If an artist's music is posted on third-party platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music through distributors, the artist will receive royalties for each streaming play.
The success of monetization on SoundCloud largely depends on the popularity of the artist, the loyalty of the fan base, and a creative approach to creating and promoting their own content.
Below are some useful tips to help you succeed on this platform:
Create regular, high-quality content. The more fresh content you produce, the more attention you will attract to your account;
Carefully describe your content with relevant tags, hashtags, and genre labels. This will help people find your work in search;
Regularly reply to comments, like and review comments from other users. This activity will help you build a loyal fan base;
Constantly share your new SoundCloud posts on other social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, to attract more listeners;
Visual content is also important. Provide your downloads with attractive album artwork;
Use SMM panels. They can have a significant impact on the promotion of your SoundCloud account by providing direct and personalised communication with your audience;
Create playlists of your best work and promote them. Playlists help listeners find your top content more easily;
Look for opportunities to collaborate with other artists, remixers, or producers in your genre;
Check listening statistics regularly to understand what content is most popular and what audience you should target;
Don't be afraid to try new genres, styles, or content formats. This can help you stand out from the crowd;
Be patient and persistent — building a successful career on SoundCloud takes time and hard work. Keep producing quality content and engaging with the community.
By following these tips, you can build a strong presence, attract a following, and possibly achieve great success as a creator on SoundCloud and turn it into a lucrative tool for your music career.
SMM panel can be a powerful tool for musicians and creators on SoundCloud to increase their audience, engagement, and monetization of their music. Below is a detailed description of the capabilities of SMM panels in this regard:
Increase in audience and reach:
Social media growth: SMM panels integrate with all major social platforms, making it easy to publish new releases to multiple networks simultaneously. This increases the reach and helps to attract a new audience.
Paid advertising: Many SMM panels have built-in tools for launching and managing advertising campaigns on social media and SoundCloud. Targeted advertising can significantly expand the circle of listeners.
Analytics and optimization: They provide detailed information about the achievements of publications and audience behaviour, which helps to optimise the promotion strategy.
Mass following: Some panels allow you to quickly find and track users with similar interests to follow them and attract new followers.
Increase engagement:
Automation of interaction: SMM panels can be set up to automatically like, comment, and follow accounts of your target audience on your behalf. This helps to create a presence and attract attention.
Content scheduling: The ability to automatically publish posts at the right time to maximise subscriber engagement.
So, using the powerful functionality of SoundCloud SMM panels, musicians can automate and optimise many processes of promoting, engaging, and monetizing their work through SoundCloud and other channels.
Create an account, upload your audio tracks, optimise them with tags and descriptions, share on social media, interact with your audience by commenting and liking other tracks.
Click on the “Playlists” tab, create a new playlist, give it a title and description, then add tracks to it from your likes, stream or by searching.
Share your music consistently, use relevant hashtags, interact with your audience, collaborate with other artists, promote your SoundCloud on other platforms. An effective way to attract new subscribers is also to use the SMM panel.
Upload high-quality music, utilise engaging artwork, add detailed descriptions, interact with listeners by commenting on their tracks too.
Optimise your tracks with relevant metadata and genres, share across multiple platforms, submit your music to curated playlists and promoters.
It allows artists to upload, share, promote and monetize their music easily. It provides audience insights, a platform to build a fanbase and opportunities for exposure.
You can monetize through SoundCloud Premier (advertising revenue share), fan donations, direct track/album sales, subscriptions, and brand partnerships.
It depends on meeting the eligibility criteria for monetization programs, which usually requires a consistent flow of uploads and plays over a period. There's no set timeline.