SoundCloud for New Artists: How to Get Heard When Nobody Knows You

SoundCloud rewards a different kind of effort from Spotify. It has always been closer to a community than a catalogue: producers comment on each other's drops, DJs dig through tags, and reposts travel from one small account to the next. That's good news if you're new, because you don't need an editor's approval. You need people, and you can go out and talk to them.

Here's how to get from zero plays to a small audience that comes back.

Set up your page so that people stay

A listener who clicks through from a repost decides in seconds. Give them what they need.

• Use a clear artist name that's the same on every platform. It makes you searchable.
• Upload a proper profile image and a header. Blank profiles look abandoned.
• Write a two-line bio: what you make, where you're from and who you've worked with. Add links to your other accounts.
• Pin your best track at the top with a Spotlight, if your plan includes it. Don't make people hunt for it.
• Give each track its own cover art, even a simple one. Tracks with no art get skipped in feeds.

Tag and title for the people searching

SoundCloud listeners really do browse by genre tag. Pick the one main genre that's most accurate and add a handful of specific tags: a subgenre, a mood, your city. Being honest here pays off, since a lo-fi track tagged "EDM" reaches listeners who skip it after ten seconds.

Titles count for a lot on remixes and edits. Write them the way people search: "Artist Name - Song Title (Your Name Remix)". Bootlegs and remixes are a common way for new producers to be found, but check rights first, because a takedown strike on a new account hurts.

Fill in the description too. Credits, a line about how the track came together and a link to your other work all give a curious listener something more to click.

The one-hour-a-day community routine

Timed comments are SoundCloud's best feature for a new artist. You can leave a comment at an exact second of someone's track, and it shows on their waveform. Most people write "fire" and move on. Write what you heard: "that bass drop at 1:12 is so clean, what did you use?" Producers click through to see who said that, and that's how you get listened to.

Stick to artists about your size. Someone with 800 followers reads every comment, and someone with 800,000 doesn't. Repost tracks you like, and people will often return the favour without being asked. Reply to every comment on your own uploads, including the short ones.

Avoid "follow for follow" threads and comment bots. You pick up accounts that will never listen, and your notifications fill with noise.

Repost channels and curators

Repost channels are accounts that share tracks in one genre, and a few have audiences who listen closely. Find them by looking at who reposted tracks you like. Write short messages that say why your track suits their channel and include a private link. Be careful with paid repost networks: look at the comments on a channel's recent reposts, because if the plays are high and the comments are silent or spammy, those listeners aren't there.

DJs in your genre are another route. A small DJ who likes your track will play it out and tag you, and they're usually easy to reach.

Plans and getting paid

SoundCloud's help centre says there are no specific eligibility requirements for monetizing and distributing through SoundCloud for Artists, which is friendlier to beginners than the follower and watch-time gates on other platforms. A SoundCloud-linked page lists the Artist plan at $39 a year and Artist Pro at $99 a year, though you should check the current prices before you sign up. Reports from November 2025 said that Artist Pro subscribers keep 100% of distribution royalties across other streaming services, after SoundCloud dropped its 20% share.

Monetized tracks earn under fan-powered royalties, where a listener's subscription money goes to the artists they listen to. That's a reason to care about loyal fans over big numbers: a small group who play you repeatedly can be worth more than thousands of one-time clicks. Don't subscribe to anything on day one, though. Get some listeners, then pay for a plan once you can tell it will return the money.

Spread each track beyond SoundCloud

Most of your first plays won't begin on SoundCloud. Post a 20-second clip with a link in your bio, and send the private link to five people who'll listen properly. Embed the player on your own site, if you have one. Add the track to your Discord or group chat, and ask for an honest reaction. People feel more attached to a song they were asked about before release.

What a play count does for a new track

A track sitting on 12 plays has a small first-impression problem. Some visitors will pass over something that seems unheard. That's the entire case for a small boost, and it's a modest case. It's about how the page looks to the next listener. It won't get you fans, it won't create any comments, and royalties don't work that way either: if you're monetizing, read the rules below before you think of ordering anything.

The bigger risk is getting the balance wrong. A track with 200,000 plays, 4 likes and no comments doesn't look popular. It looks bought, and people in a small scene notice. If you do decide on a boost:

• Don't use one on tracks you're monetizing. SoundCloud's rules forbid artificial plays, and platform rules are your responsibility under our terms. Paid plays on a monetized track could put your royalties at risk.
• Keep it small and in proportion to your likes and followers. Think hundreds, on a new upload.
• Do it after your community work, so that the people you've met are the ones who find an established-looking page.
• Try a free trial first, so you can see how it goes with nothing spent.

Our SoundCloud plays, likes and followers pages list current packages, and all of them need only a public link. Your 2-year refill covers ordinary drops, but it won't cover anything the platform removes for breaking its rules.

A 90-day target

Set yourself goals that you control. Upload one new thing every two or three weeks, leave five useful comments a day and message two curators a week. After 90 days, you'll have a catalogue, names you recognise in your comments and some idea of which tracks people return to. Those are the tracks to send to Spotify. SoundCloud is a good place to test songs in front of a friendly crowd, and an artist who releases there first arrives on bigger platforms with a song already proven and a few people ready to share it.