How to get more plays on SoundCloud: In 5 proven ways

If you are passionate about music and want to make a career in this field,  you must know about SoundCloud. It is a Germany-based website established in 2008 where independent artists share their music. It became a popular platform where artists from all over the world share their music. 

It is one of the largest music streaming platforms and ranks second after Spotify. It claims to have 175 million monthly users worldwide. Many artists have started their careers with SoundCloud. Grammys have also recognized the artists on SoundCloud now. Chance the Rapper is an example of such an artist who became famous for his album “10 days” on SoundCloud. 

Earlier SoundCloud was mostly used by DJs who posted hours-long sets. Later it became the largest platform for streaming music. Bryston Tiller, Kehlani and Chance the Rapper are a few names who uploaded their music on SoundCloud. 

But you won’t become famous just by uploading your music and crossing your fingers. You will have to market your album if you are serious about your career in the music industry. For this, you need to increase engagement on SoundCloud. The more SoundCloud plays you get, the more are your chances to become a well-known face in the music industry. 

But it is better not to buy the plays. It is better to increase the traffic organically.

1. Create High-Quality Music

Your music can trend if it is of high quality. People will listen to your music only if your music is pleasant to their ears. It is the best way to get more SoundCloud plays.

People notice the melody of the song first and then the lyrics. So, properly research the type of music most of the people listen to and create wonderful music.

2. Use SoundCloudfollowers.org 

It is a free site that allows users to create follow-to download gateways within less time. Here you set up your songs, and users can repost, like, and follow your songs/account in exchange for free downloads. 

It’s completely free, so there is no reason not to use it. 

3. Make Your Music Discoverable 

The crucial part of marketing is that you are easily discoverable on all platforms easily. Now the ‘discover’ tab is available on SoundCloud also. But there are few things that you should know to use this feature properly.

Correct genre tag is necessary as it will decide where your music is on SoundCloud. Your track tags should be relevant. So, name your tracks accordingly. Make good use of description and get more likes and comments.

The metadata entered on your SoundCloud goes on other services like google. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is necessary for all platforms. Your music can also appear in the google search results. So, make your username and track name easy to discover. If your username is Lil musician, it will not drive traffic. It should be like Lil Musician. You can buy SoundCloud plays only when your profile and music are easily discoverable. 

4. Build a Network on SoundCloud

Marketing and promotion are all about networking. Your focus shouldn’t be only on your music. Interact with others, give them constructive criticism and repost their music if you like it. You may get a chance to collaborate with them.

You can also join groups on SoundCloud and promote your music there. One of the best ways to increase engagement on SoundCloud is by recommendations. You can approach an established YouTube channel and offer your music for free. Don’t expect them to do this for you for free. Ask them to link back to your SoundCloud in the description. 

You can comment on your waveform now. You can comment about a particular track and why do you like it. 

Remixing the songs of fellow artists is a great way to connect with them. Make sure to get their approval before you upload the remix. If they like your music, you may have a chance to collaborate with them. Their followers may check you out after seeing the remix. 

Repost chains are one of the best features where you can network with like-minded artists. Whenever a member releases an album, all the other members repost it at the same time to get exposure. 

5. Promote Your Music on Other Platforms 

Don’t just depend on SoundCloud to promote your music. You can link your SoundCloud on all social media platforms to get more SoundCloud plays.

You can upload a part of your track on your YouTube channel and add your SoundCloud link in the description for the complete album. Here you can get many new viewers who can also follow you on SoundCloud. 

SoundCloud has enabled sharing on all social media handles. So, you can freely share your tracks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Don’t forget that email is still the boss in marketing. All artists, labels, promo channels, and repost channels have email. You can directly connect with them through email. Use the Hubspot extension to track email opens. Make your email to the point and send them your SoundCloud link. CCing a long list is not going to work in this case. Send the emails one by one. If you don’t get a reply, you can contact them again after a week. 

CONCLUSION

No matter how great your music is. You should use a proper marketing strategy for it to be successful. These ways mentioned above are effective to a great extent.

SoundCloud has announced from 1 April it will start directing subscribers’ fees only to the artists they listen to. This move is welcomed by many artists who wanted fairer pay. So, this is good news for the artists who want to use SoundCloud as a source of revenue. 

Also, don’t just rely on SoundCloud for promotion. Make use of all the social networks you have. Let us know which strategy worked for you the most.