SoundCloud is one of the most popular music streaming platforms for music creators and enthusiasts alike.
While you can use SoundCloud to share and discover new music, it also gives you a unique opportunity to make money. You can monetize your content as a musician by uploading and sharing audio content and creating playlists.
If you’re wondering how to make money on SoundCloud, here are seven options.
7 ways to make money on SoundCloud
Subscribe to the SoundCloud premier program.
One of the common ways to make money on SoundCloud is through SoundCloud Premier, a program that allows eligible artists to monetize their music on the platform.
You can promote your audio releases, engage your fans, and make money. However, there is a catch. To qualify for the SoundCloud premium program, you must have at least 5,000 plays per month. You must also be based in a SoundCloud-supported country and have no copyright strikes against your account.
You can apply to the program through your SoundCloud account settings. Plus, you can have access to more powerful tools and features by upgrading to SoundCloud Pro, including limitless upload time, comprehensive audience analysis, and total control over your content.
Sell your music
If you don’t qualify for the SoundCloud premium, you can still sell your music directly through SoundCloud and keep 100% of the proceeds. The option to sell your music on SoundCloud is available to everyone, even if you don’t qualify for a premium program.
Upload your tracks, set a price, and share them with your fans. You must be sure to include a “buy link” in your playlist and tracks so that your audience can use to make a direct purchase. You can also include the link in your SoundCloud profile, where your fans can easily find it.
Offer paid subscriptions
If you have exclusive content and a large following, you can make money by offering paid subscriptions. You need a large following to become a SoundCloud partner.
Becoming a partner with SoundCloud increases your chances of making money from your music. To build a large following, you must focus on uploading quality music-something worth their money and worth listening to.
You also need to spice up your bio. Introduce yourself, engage your fans with greetings on your page, and tell them what to expect from your music. You should also make sure you have a high-quality profile picture on your SoundCloud account.
Sponsorship and collaborations
You can also run advertisements on your tracks or collaborate with brands to promote their products alongside your music. You can collaborate with brands and other artists and get paid for it.
Brands may be interested in sponsoring your music or offering you products to review. You can also collaborate with other artists and share revenue from your joint projects.
Sell merchandise
How we dress is an important part of who we are in the 21st century. Today’s youth express themselves through their clothing. This has made the demand for customized merchandise and prints increase.
You can make money on SoundCloud by selling merchandise through SoundCloud’s merch store. Simply upload your products, set a price, and share them with your fans.
You can promote and sell your merchandise, such as T-shirts, caps, or other items, to your fans. You can use platforms like Bandcamp or Shopify to sell your merchandise directly to your audience. You can also promote your merchandise through your SoundCloud account and provide links to your online store.
Offer private coaching
If you’re an experienced musician, you can offer private coaching through SoundCloud. You can monetize your music skills and get extra earnings by offering private music coaching.
Promote on SoundCloud
SoundCloud offers a self-serve tool that helps you promote your own tracks to a broader audience on the platform. The tool lets you target specific audiences based on age, location, genre, or other criteria.
Using this tool, you can get your music to reach new fans and get more plays on a budget that works for you. You will pay per SoundCloud, and you could spend about $10 for every 1000 impressions.
Fan-powered royalties
SoundCloud has this special category where you get paid depending on how long your fans listen to your music on SoundCloud. You should tap into this fan-powered royalties to rake in some dollars on SoundCloud.
How many views do you need to get paid on SoundCloud?
SoundCloud requires a minimum number of streams to start tracking your monetization process. You must first subscribe to SoundCloud Pro or Pro Unlimited. Your music must be entirely original. You must have received at least 5,000 plays from locations where SoundCloud is accessible within the past month.
Additionally, you must ensure that you have enabled monetization before you can begin earning money from SoundCloud. You can check if you have monetized your tracks by navigating to the platform settings.
Unfortunately, monetization is possible in some officially SoundCloud-operated countries. Also, since PayPal is the primary payment method on SoundCloud, earning money on the platform is only possible in nations with access to the PayPal service.
To start withdrawing money from your SoundCloud account, you must have earned at least $5.
Read also, How to make money songwriting.
Conclusion
If you have signed up on SoundCloud, you have several options to make money. You can sell your music, offer paid subscriptions, sell merchadise, offer private coaching, and subscribe to the Sound Cloud Premium Program.
However, to earn money on SoundCloud, you should live in a SoundCloud-supported location. If your location is unsupported, you won’t earn any dollars, regardless of the number of plays you receive. Also, ensure you have enabled monetization in your SoundCloud account settings.