Despite being faced with harrowing financial trouble this year, SoundCloud remains one of the most important platforms for independent music and audio content.

SoundCloud may not be as popular as iTunes or Spotify but neither of those competitors stack up to SoundCloud’s ability to embed albums, playlists, and tracks on outside websites and platforms.

SoundCloud also has some of the most extensive catalogs of independent sound and audio content among all the music sharing platforms out there. On top of all that, SoundCloud has built a community of independent artists and avid music fans that continuously rely on their platform for engagement and inspiration.

Their collective advantage may very well be the reason why SoundCloud was able to secure emergency funding from their investors during a time when everyone thought their platform only had a few weeks to live.

SoundCloud may have seen better days in the past but this music sharing platform is not giving up without a fight.

A Community of Sound

SoundCloud was designed to give independent artists around the world an opportunity to share their music to avid music fans no matter where they might be. Through SoundCloud, independent artists were able to share their music online to kickstart their career.

SoundCloud made publishing and distributing tracks and podcasts more attainable for a lot of artists. This placed the music sharing platform in a position that allowed them to grow the most diverse and expansive sound catalog on the internet.

Naturally, SoundCloud became more than just another platform – it turned into a robust community of avid fans and passionate music makers. SoundCloud became many people's artistic safe space.

Thanks to music sharing platforms like SoundCloud, many artists were able to turn their hobbies into full-time careers.

Image credit: W Magazine

Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty are two millennial wave rappers who started out throwing their tracks on SoundCloud. Their tracks were getting a lot of attention from fans who loved their flair for words. Today, Lil Yachty is the new creative director of Nautica while Lil Uzi Vert has a single entitled “XO Tour Llif3” that's on the Billboard Top 10 and his new album, Luv is Rage 2, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

Intuitive Player

SoundCloud has a simple yet flexible media player you can embed on practically every type of website or social profile. The classic waveform player comes with a giant play button in the middle that makes it easy to use for any listener — even if they've never been on SoundCloud before.

If you're willing to pay extra, the Pro account comes with customizable widgets that can feature either your entire playlist or your album art.

Image credit: The SoundCloud Blog

The Spotify player also comes with an autoplay feature that can significantly increase the number of plays your tracks get through several of your social profiles.

You can also take things up a notch by buying a few thousand SoundCloud Plays from a tried-and-tested provider. Buying an impressive number of SoundCloud Plays can make you appear buzzworthy in the eyes — or ears — of organic listeners worldwide.

SoundCloud Is Far From Being Over

SoundCloud has proven it has a lot to offer artists and listeners alike compared to its more popular competition. Having been established a lot earlier than most music sharing platforms, SoundCloud managed to accumulate an unrivaled, expansive, and diverse collection of tracks and audio content from every part of the globe.

They also have an intuitive and flexible player that can be embedded practically everywhere, helping artists maximize their exposure and helping listeners share music they love more easily. For many artists, SoundCloud is more than just a music sharing platform. It's a safe place where they can share their music and hopefully kickstart their careers by connecting to as many fans worldwide as possible.

SoundCloud is also a place where avid music fans can discover underrated tracks from independent artists, away from the noise of the mainstream music industry. There’ve been plenty of people who've made a career for themselves through SoundCloud. This gives a lot of independent artists hope that one day they too can make chart-topping hits.

If you want to kickstart your music career, consider purchasing an impressive number of SoundCloud Plays from a reputable provider. Artificial social signals can help you get the initial traction you need to draw in organic listeners.

SoundCloud may be in hot financial waters these days but it has given the music industry a lot — and it will continue to do so in the years to come.

SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung, left, and his potential replacement former Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor, right. Image credit: Recode

Date: September 28, 2017 / Categories: Tips, / Author: Mariko