How to Get More SoundCloud Plays | 12 methods

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

Boosting your SoundCloud plays involves producing high-quality music, optimizing your profile, engaging with the community, leveraging promotional tools, and using external platforms effectively. By implementing these strategies, artists can increase their visibility, grow their audience, and maximize revenue from their tracks.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Create High-Quality Music
Optimize Your SoundCloud Profile
Engage with the SoundCloud Community
Utilize SoundCloud’s Promotional Tools
Understanding Your SoundCloud Plan
Leverage External Platforms
The Power of Playlists for Exposure
SEO for SoundCloud: How to Rank in Search
Collaborations & Strategic Partnerships
Leveraging Online Communities
Engaging Your Fans Beyond SoundCloud
Monetize Your Plays & Maximize Revenue
Conclusion & Call to Action

Introduction

You’re not alone if you’re wondering “How do I get more plays on SoundCloud?”. Many artists find it challenging to gain traction on SoundCloud. However, using the right strategies can help boost your plays and reach a wider audience.

At MelodyRights, you get the tools and expertise to earn the recognition and revenue your music deserves. You might miss out on valuable income if you haven’t found the right way to promote your work. This guide is your roadmap to success, offering actionable steps and industry insights to turn your passion into profit.

Ready to make sure every play counts? Start your journey on how to get more SoundCloud plays and fair revenue for your art.

Create High-Quality Music

High-quality tracks lay the foundation for your success. Here are some key pointers to ensure your music stands out:

Tips for Quality Production:

Solidify your core musical ideas—without a strong foundation, production, mixing, and mastering won’t make a difference.
Seek feedback from listeners, tastemakers, and fellow artists to refine your sound.
Stay patient and consistently produce a high volume of music.

Step-by-Step Production Checklist:

Plan: Outline your track structure before you begin.
Record: Capture and layer your instruments with care.
Edit: Clean up and mix your recordings to achieve clarity.
Master: Finalize your track to professional standards for a polished finish.

Optimize Your SoundCloud Profile

Your SoundCloud profile is often the first impression potential fans get of you. Keeping it updated and polished can boost engagement and make your music more appealing. Here are some ways to optimize your profile:

Keep Your Bio Current:
Write a short, engaging bio that reflects your musical style, achievements, and personality. Update it regularly to highlight your latest releases, notable gigs, or collaborations. An up-to-date bio makes your profile feel alive and relevant.
Use a Professional Profile Picture and Banner:
Your profile picture should be clear and professional, aligning with your brand. Similarly, your banner can showcase your latest artwork, album cover, or recent performance. A visually appealing profile can capture the interest of new listeners.
Link Your Social Media and Website:
Integrate your other platforms by adding links to your social media accounts, website, or online store. This will boost your online presence and promote cross-platform engagement, helping fans connect with you.
Highlight Your Best Work with Spotlight Tracks:
If you have a paid plan for Spotlight tracks, pin your key or recent track at the top of your profile. This ensures new visitors immediately hear what defines your sound.
Regularly Update Your Content:
An active profile signals to fans and the platform that you’re serious about your music. Consistently update your playlists, upload new tracks, and share updates to keep your audience engaged. This practice complements your upgraded plan by fully utilising the additional features available to you.

Regularly updating your SoundCloud profile boosts visibility and builds a cohesive brand image. This attention to detail can lead to higher engagement, more plays, and a stronger fan base.

3. Engage with the SoundCloud Community

Interaction builds loyalty and organic plays.

Best Practices:
1. Comment on other artists’ tracks and join discussions.
2. Use groups and reposts to increase your network.
3. Host live Q&A sessions or track premieres.

Step-by-Step Engagement Plan:
1. Identify top influencers in your genre.
2. Engage with their content thoughtfully.
3. Collaborate and share feedback.

4. Utilize SoundCloud’s Promotional Tools

Use SoundCloud’s built-in features to boost your tracks and engage listeners more effectively. Here’s how you can use them strategically:

Use the “Promote on SoundCloud” Feature

SoundCloud’s built-in promotional tool helps you reach targeted listeners and increase exposure for your tracks. It also highlights your music, increases plays, and provides audience insights. Set up your promotion here.

Schedule Track Releases at Peak Times

It is essential to time your releases when listeners are most active. SoundCloud lacks a scheduling feature, but you can plan releases using audience engagement data from your insights page. Learn more about insights and analytics.

Analyze Your Track Statistics to Refine Your Strategy

Reviewing your SoundCloud statistics helps you understand listener demographics, popular tracks, and listener locations. Use these insights to tailor your promotional activities effectively. Dive deeper into your analytics on SoundCloud’s Insights Overview.

Using SoundCloud’s promotional tools can boost engagement, grow your fanbase, and increase your track’s visibility.

5. Understanding Your SoundCloud Plan

Choosing the right SoundCloud plan is crucial for both your promotional strategy and revenue goals. As of January 2025, SoundCloud offers several plans tailored to different needs. Here’s your decision guide—with direct links so you can explore each option:

For Creators

If you’re an artist looking to share your music, you’ll need a plan that lets you upload your tracks:

SoundCloud Next (Free)
- Upload up to 3 hours of music.
- Basic features for new artists.
- Limitations: You can’t set a Spotlight track (the first track visitors see). You cannot access detailed analytics, and the platform restricts monetization options.
SoundCloud Next Pro
- Unlimited uploads with advanced features.
- Set a Spotlight track to highlight your best work.
- Detailed insights into who’s listening and where they’re from.
- Monetization options to help you earn from your plays.
- Additional Benefit: Fewer intrusive popups, allowing you to focus on promoting your music.

For Listeners

If you’re primarily using SoundCloud to enjoy music, consider one of these plans:

These options provide an ad-free listening experience, offline access, and enhanced features. However, they won’t let you upload your own tracks.

Why Your Choice Matters

Promotional Strategy:
A good plan helps showcase your music and optimize your profile, attracting more plays.
Revenue Goals:
Access to monetization and detailed analytics is key. With the Next Pro plan, you can fine-tune your strategy based on listener data and ensure you capture revenue from your creative work.

Before deciding, review your current needs and long-term goals. Understanding and selecting the right plan will set a strong foundation for success on SoundCloud.

6. Leverage External Platforms

Diversifying your presence online is key.

External Promotion Tactics:
- Share your tracks on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Build a mailing list to notify fans of new releases.

Discover how you can expand your audience on TikTok here: Upload Music to TikTok for Free

7. The Power of Playlists for Exposure

Playlists can significantly amplify your reach.

Strategies to Leverage Playlists:
1. Submit your tracks to popular playlists in your genre.
2. Create your own playlists featuring a mix of your music and trending tracks.
3. Network with playlist curators and influencers.
Actionable Steps:
1. Research and list top playlists in your niche.
2. Prepare a submission email with your track and bio.
3. Follow up and maintain relationships with curators.

8. SEO for SoundCloud: How to Rank in Search

Optimizing your SoundCloud profile and tracks helps listeners discover your music organically. Here’s how to effectively improve your visibility:

Essential SEO Techniques

Relevant Keywords: Include keywords that accurately represent your genre, mood, and style in your track titles, descriptions, and tags.
Detailed Descriptions: Write engaging descriptions with naturally integrated keywords to enhance visibility.
Consistency: Regularly update your track details and maintain accuracy across your profile.
Cross-Linking: Link your tracks to your personal website and social media platforms for greater reach.

Recommended SEO Tools

Keywords Everywhere: Quickly discover relevant keywords and view monthly search volume and competition metrics directly in your browser.
Ubersuggest: Analyze keyword difficulty, competitor content, and identify trending keywords in the music industry.

Step-by-Step SEO Guide

Research: Use Keywords Everywhere or Ubersuggest to identify relevant keywords in your music niche.
Implementation: Naturally incorporate these keywords into your track titles, tags, and descriptions.
Monitoring: Regularly review and adjust your keyword strategy based on performance insights.

Applying these SEO best practices will significantly improve your SoundCloud visibility and organically grow your audience.

9. Collaborations & Strategic Partnerships

Collaborating with artists and forming strategic partnerships can dramatically expand your reach on SoundCloud. Here’s how to approach it effectively:

Effective Collaborations

Find Complementary Artists: Connect with artists whose style and fanbase align with your music.
Joint Projects: Create collaborative SoundCloud playlists, remixes, or joint tracks. This cross-promotion attracts listeners from multiple networks.
Partner with Influencers: Identify established SoundCloud influencers who resonate with your genre to amplify your music’s visibility.

Strategic Partnerships

Repost Channels: Reach out to SoundCloud repost channels popular in your genre. A repost can rapidly expose your tracks to large, relevant audiences.

Partnering with SoundCloud repost channels is a quick way to amplify your reach. Identify repost channels in your genre using platforms like RepostExchange and submit your best tracks. These strategic reposts expose your music to larger, targeted audiences, increasing your visibility organically.

Media Outlets & Blogs: Submit your music to influential blogs that align with your style. Top free blogs include:
- A&R Factory: Open to all genres and highly respected.
- HighClouds: Ideal for emerging artists looking for album and EP reviews.
- RGM.press: Known for spotlighting diverse, fresh talent.

Actionable Steps:

Identify relevant artists, blogs, and influencers.
Personalize pitches and collaboration requests.
Consistently nurture these relationships to support long-term growth.

10. Leveraging Online Communities

Online communities are powerful channels for growing your SoundCloud audience organically. Engage authentically to generate real interest and plays:

Recommended Communities:

Reddit: Share your tracks and insights on active music subreddits like r/WeAreTheMusicMakers and r/MusicPromotion.
Discord: Participate in music-production servers where artists actively share, critique, and support new music.
Music Forums: Contribute valuable insights on forums like Future Producers and Gearspace, introducing your music organically.

Community Engagement Strategy:

Regularly participate in discussions, provide helpful advice, and engage genuinely.
Only promote your tracks subtly after building genuine rapport.

11. Engaging Your Fans Beyond SoundCloud

Building a loyal fanbase outside SoundCloud ensures sustainable growth and consistent track plays:

Fan Engagement Techniques:

Exclusive Content: Offer exclusive previews or unreleased tracks through an email newsletter.
Social Media: Share engaging behind-the-scenes content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Interactive Events: Host Q&A sessions, live streams, or fan contests to build deeper connections.

Action Plan for Ongoing Engagement:

Create a regular schedule of exclusive content releases.
Provide incentives like early access or exclusive merchandise.
Encourage fan-generated content and feedback to boost organic engagement.

Focusing on authentic engagement builds lasting relationships, leading to more plays and greater support for your music on SoundCloud.

12. Monetize Your Plays & Maximize Revenue

Transforming your SoundCloud presence into sustainable income requires a strategic monetization approach, not just accumulating plays. Here’s how you can effectively monetize your SoundCloud music:

SoundCloud Monetization

SoundCloud for Artists (formerly SoundCloud Premier):

Eligibility: For the soundcloud artist account, you must be at least 18 years old. Own all rights to your music, and have at least 500 eligible streams per month.
Earnings per Stream: Typically ranges between $0.0025 and $0.004 per stream, depending on listener location and engagement.
- Example Payouts:
  - 1,000 plays: approximately $2.50–$4.00
  - 10,000 plays: approximately $25–$40
  - 100,000 plays: approximately $250–$400

Direct-to-Fan Sales

Merchandise:
Create branded merchandise to sell directly to fans at live events or online. (T-shirts, posters, or physical albums).
Digital Downloads:
Sell your tracks directly on platforms like Sellfy. This lets you keep more of your revenue compared to traditional sales channels.

Crowdfunding & Fan Support

Patreon and Similar Platforms:
Offer exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, and early track releases via crowdfunding platforms like Patreon. This strategy creates a reliable monthly income stream and builds a dedicated fanbase.

Soundcloud Distribution, Licensing and Sync Deals

Licensing Opportunities:
License your music for commercials, films, TV shows, or video games, dramatically increasing exposure and revenue.
Secure Your Rights with MelodyRights:

MelodyRights specializes in securing and managing licensing and distribution for artists. MelodyRights actively protects and thoroughly licenses your music rights across all media channels, unlike typical distributors.

They meticulously track every use of your music worldwide. This includes streaming services, films, commercials, and digital platforms, ensuring no royalty goes unclaimed. With MelodyRights, you receive 100% of your royalties, making it a powerful alternative to traditional distribution platforms.

Find out more here: https://www.melodyrights.com/how-it-works

Tips to Maximize Your Earnings

Diversify Revenue Streams:
Combine streaming royalties, merchandise, crowdfunding, licensing, and live performances to create multiple income streams.
Engage and Retain Fans:
Regularly interact with fans through social media, email newsletters, and live events to build loyalty and a reliable fanbase.
Analyze and Optimize:
Leverage SoundCloud’s analytics to understand your audience, refine your promotional strategies, and boost long-term growth.

By strategically approaching monetization, you can ensure fair compensation for your creativity. Utilizing resources like MelodyRights helps you build a profitable and sustainable music career on SoundCloud.

Conclusion & Call to Action

Increasing your SoundCloud plays takes strategy, consistency, and creativity. Produce high-quality music and optimize your profile to boost your audience. Engage with your community and embrace innovative promotional techniques to increase revenue.

Ready to take your SoundCloud career to the next level?

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Managing royalties, licensing, and distribution can become overwhelming as an independent artist. Traditional distribution channels often cut into your earnings, leaving you with less than you deserve. MelodyRights offers a solution designed to empower artists like you, ensuring you keep 100% of your royalties without sacrificing professional licensing and distribution.

About MelodyRights

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Flexible Plans

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Easy Uploading Process

Once you’ve chosen your plan, simply upload your music through your user-friendly dashboard. Submit multiple tracks simultaneously and track your submissions with ease. MelodyRights ensures efficient distribution across your chosen platforms.

Transparent Royalty Management

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Learn more and start claiming what’s rightfully yours at MelodyRights.