SoundCloud is an online audio placement platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio, as well as a digital signal processor enabling listeners to flow audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud has grown to be one of the largest music streaming services in the world and is available in 190 countries and territories. Audience-wise, there are over 76 million active monthly users, with over 175 million global users that SoundCloud reaches, as of November 2021. While its competitors report having roughly 70 million tracks in their systems, SoundCloud supersedes this with over 300 million. SoundCloud offers both free and paid memberships on the platform, available for mobile, desktop and Xbox devices.
SoundCloud has developed from a traditional online streaming platform to an entertainment company with premium offerings, including advanced audience insights, playlist pitching tools, and promotional marketing resources for its users. SoundCloud was the first streaming service to adopt and implement a user-centric payment model for artists called fan-powered royalties. SoundCloud has influenced the music industry through the success of many artists who have used the service to launch or advance their careers. SoundCloud has received support from many investors and other media platforms such as Twitter. In Q3 of 2020, SoundCloud posted its first ever profitable quarter with double-digit revenue gains and substantially reduced operating losses.
What you need to know about SoundCloud
SoundCloud is available online for Ios and Android devices, and the basic version is free. Here’s everything else you need to know about SoundCloud.
How to sign in on SoundCloud
While anyone can sign up and use SoundCloud at no-cost, there are advanced features that will require a monthly subscription.
The first premium tier on the platform for users is SoundCloud Go, and it costs just $4.99 a month. With SoundCloud Go, users can save an unlimited number of tracks for offline listening and enjoy an ad-free listening experience.
SoundCloud Go+ is the next level up. For $9.99 a month, subscribers enjoy all the benefits of SoundCloud Go plus higher quality audio and access to SoundCloud’s full catalog.
For creators, there’s the option of SoundCloud Pro Unlimited. SoundCloud Basic allows you to upload three hours of audio content and access to stats like the number of track plays and likes.
But SoundCloud Pro Unlimited offers even more listener statistics, unlimited audio uploads, opportunities to monetize and distribute audio tracks across other platforms, and more. SoundCloud Pro Unlimited costs $12 a month if you sign up for a yearly subscription or $16 for month-to-month billing.
How to use SoundCloud as a listener
Go to SoundCloud. Com or download the SoundCloud app and create an account. You can do this by entering your email address and choosing a password or signing up via your Facebook, Apple, or Google account.
To edit your profile, click your display name on the top right of the screen, then click “Profile.” Upload a header image and profile image to personalize your page. To edit your display name or profile url, click the “Edit” button underneath the header image. Here, you can also add or edit your bio and note your full name, city, and country if you’d like. Click “Save changes” when you’re finished.
To start listening, navigate to the “Discover” page by clicking the “Home” tab to see what’s trending or search for specific content using the search bar. Comment, like, and repost tracks you like; these options are all found underneath the waveforms of individual audio tracks.
You can create playlists by clicking the “More” button, then click “Add to playlist.” Click the “Follow” button under an artist’s name to follow their new tracks, playlists, and reposts. These will appear in your “Stream” tab alongside the tracks you upload and repost. Your likes and playlists live in the “Library” tab.
How to use SoundCloud as an artist
Using SoundCloud is a bit more involved for creators, as there are many tools at your disposal to share your work and grow your audience.
To upload a track to SoundCloud, click “Upload.” You can drag and drop files into the upload box or choose files to upload from your computer. Consider setting the privacy for your audio track by clicking “Public” or “Private.” You can also choose to enable downloads for your track and add or change track information.
SoundCloud stresses the importance of copyright and notes that uploaded tracks must comply with their Terms of Use and not infringe on anyone else’s rights. In other words, don’t upload audio that doesn’t belong to you.
The SoundCloud Creater Guide offers a comprehensive look at all of the tools and resources available to artists to help them get the most out of the platform. It includes tips on optimizing SoundCloud tracks to make them easy to find, instructions on how to share your SoundCloud tracks on social media and embedded players, and more.
