If you are serious about making it big in the music industry, you probably have already created your account on SoundCloud. And why not? After all, this platform currently boasts of having one of the largest community spaces for online music distribution. If you can get yourself noticed on SoundCloud, you will indeed have arrived at the music scene. So, what can you do to build your brand upon this platform?
Here are a few tips that you may wish to employ:
Purchase Promotional Services
You probably already are aware that SoundCloud works on an algorithm based on plays. The more plays your tracks generate in real-time, the more visibility you are likely to earn on the platform. They not only help you climb up the charts for display against popular searches, but they can also be your way to monetize your content.
As an independent artist looking for ways to promote yourself on SoundCloud, you could consider investing in trusted services to give a starting push within SoundCloud plays.
Use a “Buy” Button
Of the many advantages SoundCloud provides its users, one can directly sell their art. Add a ‘Buy’ link to your tracks to let your listeners purchase what they like. You can add this link by going to the ‘Metadata’ tab while you are uploading the track. Depending on what account you are using, you may be able to customize the call-to-action button. Pro account users often change the wording to reflect what site they are selling their music online. For instance, you could change the wording to “stream on iTunes” to let your listeners know that you are selling your music on iTunes. You can also use this link to ask for Donations to a direct account on services like PayPal if you want your listeners to support your work monetarily even though you may not be officially selling it yet on any music platform. If your music has quality, you are sure to find contributors who will help you sustain your work.
Optimize the Uses of Private Sharing
SoundCloud allows you to share your tracks using private links. You must be wondering if your goal is to generate growth in the number of plays – why should you use the private setting? Is it not counterproductive? Such settings can enable you to build up the clicks on your tracks later. Here are some ways how you could use it to push yourself up on SoundCloud:
- It is a good idea to get some opinion on your work before releasing it to the public. Share tracks privately at the draft stage or in the pre-release stage to a group of listeners whose views you trust. You will get an honest idea of how the track would fare in the online music market and make changes if needed.
- You could use this feature to release your music to bloggers or collaborators first. That way, you can build up marketing spaces for the track before releasing the track.
- This feature is also great for sending exclusive content for demos or to contractors and radio stations.
To use this feature, set the visibility setting to private while uploading a track. When you hit the share button on your profile, you will get a private share URL for it. You can even create a personal playlist if you wish. Remember, you always have the option of reverting the setting to public mode. So, use this feature to your advantage.
Publish What Works for You
- Publish your best version. This follows from the above tip. Release the best version of your track to the public once you have worked on its private release feedback. You may be euphoric and expect your track to fare great, but the number of real plays it actually generates may be falling way short of your expectations. What do you do then?
- Observe your analytics closely. Check for feedback left in comments and shares. You could also ask your listeners for feedback if your comment section does not give you adequate material to work on. Give your track the revisions it deserves by uploading new versions.
- Remember, you could take the old track down and upload a fresh one, but if you do, you will lose out on all the hits it generated in terms of comments, plays, and other audience engagement. Uploading a new vet gives your audience a chance to go back and forth between tracks to see how you have worked on your feedback. In the process, you would generate audience engagement on both tracks and thus build yourself a noticeable presence.
However, if you have a Pro Account, SoundCloud lets you change the audio on your upload without losing the likes, plays, shares, or comments. You can quickly revise and change your track without having to make a new track upload. You do not have a cap on how many times you can do this, so you can always return to create better versions of the track on the same upload.
Boost Your Tracks with Tags
Help your music find a prominent space in searches by adding relevant tags to your uploaded tracks. With the proper tags, your music will be discoverable by anyone who explores the SoundCloud database. In other words, to attract new listeners, radio channels, labels, recording scouts, and sponsors, tagging your music is the best means available.
Image by marian anbu juwan from Pixabay
However, remember to tag your music with the appropriate keywords. Be specific about your genre, style, and audience. If your track is made in collaboration with other artists, tagging them by name also helps to broaden your audience reach. You can link your collaborators in the track description space.
SoundCloud also has several promotion tags that you can choose from. It is a good rule of thumb to refrain from using keywords that are too broad. Listeners look for specifics, so you are more likely to generate organic plays if you keep your tags concise and honest.
Optimize the Benefits of the Waveform
Your waveform can operate as your archive, your growth chart, and your storyboard. Use it to its full potential by carrying out real-time conversations here.
You can do this by:
- Responding to comments and Stories left by listeners.
- Starting fresh dialogue.
The waveform is an optimal space for:
- Letting your fans take a step-by-step journey with you while you create Euphrates music. Keep them updated with the progress you are making and the blocks you may have run into. This will build anticipation for the track and create a genuine listening interest.
- Ask for feedback and opinion on specific matters as you build your tracks. Give your audience a sneak peek by uploading draft snippets to generate conversations around.
- Share your emotional journey. Being honest about your mood and opinions about your music is a good way to generate interest in your music. This also gives the audience a context to appreciate and review your music in.
Promote Yourself Across Platforms
Use the virtual world to your advantage. Besides sharing with your SoundCloud audience, share the links to your content across other social media platforms and through email blasts. Anyone can play your music from anywhere. As long as the play generated is a genuine one, it still counts towards your count.
Grow your listeners by promoting your tracks across all virtual spaces you can. SoundCloud gives you the option to automatically post your uploads on any social media platform you link to your SoundCloud. It is a good idea to keep your Account Settings on an auto-post mode to ensure you are promoting your work as much as possible online. Of course, you can also manually share URLs – re-share links from time-to-time to restart audience engagement on uploads which have slowed down in click-generation.
Be Supportive of Other Musicians
Being competitive is healthy, but finding support in the music community is vital for your growth as a musician in the long run. Find organizations you can be a part of organically. Just as you share your content, repost content of fellow artists whose work speaks to you. Leave comments and appreciative notes on other people’s work.
This is sure to generate reciprocal engagement with your content. There is no better promotion than having another musician share your work with their audience. Find a welcome space in the community you want to be a part of.
Keep Your Tracks Organized
A major pitfall of SoundCloud is that the audience often does not find what they are looking for in terms of playlists because of the way the search results are generated. If you wish your listeners to have a seamless experience of enjoying your music, arrange them into discoverable playlists by organizing them on your own profile as such. Use the available tools of the site to group your uploads by keywords and lists so that it is easy for your fans to navigate through them.
Take these tips in mind, and you will soon see your presence on SoundCloud booming. Just be patient and devise your marketing strategies smartly!
