In today’s world, SoundCloud is to musicians what LinkedIn is to businesses. It’s a community of music lovers and music makers – a platform where everyone comes together to enjoy music. At the moment, SoundCloud has over 175 million listeners.
But how do you ensure that at least a fraction of these people listens to your music? Fortunately, SoundCloud is an excellent platform for connection-building, linking you with like-minded people and creating an audience that enjoys your musical style.
Not necessarily a shortcut, but SoundCloud is definitely a dependable route to take if you want to make your name in the music industry.
Here’s how to gain traction and get your music noticed on SoundCloud.
How to Get Noticed On SoundCloud?
Here’s the deal: you have to take every step to ensure that you’re findable on the platform. Once you ace that, you’ll start getting the traction that will soon balloon into an audience and large fan-base.
Choose The Right Display Name
Your display name is the first thing people see when they come to your profile. More importantly, it’s what people use to search for you on SoundCloud. Thus, make sure that you have a relevant display name.
If you’re a solo artist, write your own name. If you’re a band, opt for your stage name. Since SoundCloud is also a place for label representatives and producers, these companies should incorporate their organization into the display name.
Besides the name, also optimize your URL. Try getting an easy-to-remember URL, such as https://soundcloud.com/maryjane. If it’s not available, be a little creative but make sure to add your name.
We hate to be “downers” but choosing whimsical names for your SoundCloud display is off the charts. Don’t go for names like ‘SweetAudioAngel11’’ or anything else of the sort.
Your display name is your brand – an identity that people will know you by. Thus, it must be appealing and easy to find.
Most people search for SoundCloud artists on Google first. Optimizing your name and URL will allow you to be ranked on Google, making it easier for fans to find your account.
Tag Your Music
Other than display names, fans also search for music via tags. Therefore, tagging your music will allow your account to pop up when someone searches for that particular genre.
When selecting the tags, make sure to enter the relevant genre. You can also make tags for location or moods. Don’t make the mistake of tagging every genre in the book, as it will only make your song less findable.
Keep the tags accurate and concise to be discovered easily. SoundCloud suggests using a relevant number of tags. Make sure you’re not misleading your audience by misrepresenting your track’s genre.
Sync Social Media Accounts
SoundCloud should be the primary platform for your music, but don’t let it be the only one. Add links to your other social media accounts, like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, to keep the audience in the loop.
Here’s how it works. You upload your latest single on SoundCloud, release a music or lyric video for it on YouTube, promote it visually through Instagram, and discuss it with your fans while getting their feedback on Twitter.
When you connect with your audience, it makes you appear as an approachable artist, and that’s something the fans love.
Plus, Instagram stories and reels are possibly the best way to tease your new track or give snippets of it to the audience, making them eager for the whole song.
Update Your Bio
If you’re ever confused about what a bio should look like, take a peek at the Instagram bio of a famous influencer. That tiny section on their profile lists every reason for you to follow them.
Now, apply the same principle to SoundCloud.
Mention every noteworthy thing about yourself, like your previous performances, any notable tours or venues you’ve been a part of, or performances that were well-noticed by the crowd.
Moreover, update your contact information. A SoundCloud page without contact implies that you’re not taking bookings or don’t have a process for studio sessions.
As a result, it could put off people who might be interested in collaborating with you.
If you have a manager, add their information. If not, put your own so that interested music houses, producers, or fellow artists can contact you for tours, studio sessions, and collaborations.
Focus On Quality
Besides producing high-quality music, make sure that the recording is also just as impeccable. A poorly-recorded track will not be well-received irrespective of how phenomenal the lyrics or the melody are.
If you don’t have appropriate equipment at home or are a novice at mixing and editing, hire a freelancer for the job. The bottom line is that you should be uploading properly recorded and mastered tracks to attract the audience.
Collaborate With Fellow Artists
SoundCloud is a hub of people from the music industry, and the opportunities for collaborations are limitless.
Along with driving your music, collaborations will also introduce your tracks to a whole new set of audiences.
If you’re a music producer, you can sell your beats to SoundCloud rappers. Alternatively, if you’re a singer, you can work with another artist to release a track that will get attention from two groups of followers. Typically, these collaborations have a prominent promotional impact.
Cover Art Matters
Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Dark Side of The Moon’ has one of the best album cover arts in the history of music. We’re not merely making this up as the opinion has been unanimously agreed upon by fans and musicians alike.
The cover shows a white light entering a prism and exiting on the other side as a rainbow – a physics textbook classic. Even though it doesn’t have the artist’s name on it, the album cover is recognized by millions of fans worldwide.
The point of this story is that you can also attract your audience using cover art. Tools like Stencil and Canva have made it super-easy to design covers, even if you’re not too great at art.
Conclusion
Apart from all these tips, the most important thing is to put forward your best music. Once you’re confident with it, upload it to the platform and wait for the number of plays to increase every minute.
With a tad bit of optimization and professional outreach, you’ll soon be the next Post Malone.