You’ve heard of SoundCloud. Have you heard of Mixcloud though? Mixcloud is another music streaming service that allows the distribution of DJ mixes, radio shows and podcasts. The two are a little different in aim but both are appealing to DJs.

Mixcloud is better for DJs who want to share pop music. Because it has a smaller user base, you won’t get the same kind of traction or reach on Mixcloud that you get on SoundCloud. However, if you’re looking to share on other social media platforms and personal websites or blogs, then Mixcloud works well.

SoundCloud is better for artists who release original singles and who want a large audience and to measure their results. SoundCloud established itself as the main streaming service for underground musicians, especially those specializing in EDM.

Below are some of the differences between Mixcloud vs SoundCloud:

Uploading tracks

Mixcloud allows you to upload DJ mixes, talk and music shows and podcasts. It restricts the uploading of single tracks, full tracks and mashups. The service is more focused on DJs and radio presenters instead of artists. Mixcloud has no limit to the file size of your uploads. Mixcloud also allows you to import mixes directly from SoundCloud, but they cannot be over 10 minutes long.

SoundCloud lets you upload single tracks, playlists, albums and mashups. Basically, anything without copyright restrictions is a go on SoundCloud. Free SoundCloud users are limited to uploading up to 3 hours of content. Pro users can upload up to 6 hours of content, while Pro Unlimited users have unlimited upload time.

Listening to tracks

Mixcloud tagline is “We are rethinking radio.” It's basically like radio, which is easy to use but is less interactive. Users on the service cannot fast forward tracks or show their favorite part.

SoundCloud is more interactive and allows you to control tracks like a personal music player. It's more interactive and allows users to like, repost and share tracks, as well as to leave timed comments on specific parts of a track.

Downloading tracks

SoundCloud makes it easy to download tracks. Free users are allowed up to 100 downloads for each track. Pro users are allowed 1,000 downloads while there are no limitations for Pro Unlimited users. For a song to be available for download, all a user needs to do is enable downloads for listeners in the track's Permissions tab.

Mixcloud does not allow downloads. However, you can link to track downloads if they’re hosted off the site. There are also several online tools that you can use to download music from Mixcloud, such as Savedeo, Download Mixcloud and Mixcloud Downloader.

Copyright issues

Although it started as a hub for underground musicians, SoundCloud's success and the consequent signing of the three major record labels (Sony Music, UMG and Warner Music) has placed a lot of heat on the service. As a result, SoundCloud has become stricter on copyrights, which means that they take down many DJ mixes that sample unlicensed music.

Mixcloud on the other hand is not under the same heat on copyrights as SoundCloud. As SoundCloud continues its onslaught on DJs, it's leading many DJs to migrate to Mixcloud where the copyright rules are more relaxed.

Analytics

SoundCloud offers great analytics on plays and followers. Free users can track the number of plays, likes, comments, reposts and downloads their music is getting. Pro users can even see their top fans and the countries in which their music is popular. In addition to all these, Pro Unlimited users can also see what device their music is being listened from – websites, applications and social media networks.

Mixcloud does not offer analytics for free users. However, upgrading to the Pro account gives you access to an analytics dashboard. From here, you can see the number of people listening to your mixes, where this traffic is coming from, and their location. In addition, you will get access to “engagement graphs,” which let you know at which point listeners stop listening to your mix. This can help you trace patterns and see what works well for your mixes, and what does not.

User base

When it comes to number of users, SoundCloud's user base is much larger and more diverse. The service boasts over 175 million unique listeners each month, with about 12 hours of audio content uploaded every minute.

Mixcloud's user base is much smaller and less diverse. The service has about 10 million active users per month, and sees up to 4 hours of audio content uploaded every minute.

Conclusion

While Mixcloud and SoundCloud are both online music sharing and streaming services, they are focused on different kinds of content creators. Mixcloud is more focused on DJs and presenters while SoundCloud is focused on individual artists. Mixcloud has unlimited uploads while SoundCloud has limitations depending on your account type. SoundCloud is more interactive for listeners, and makes it easier for them to download music. Mixcloud is less stringent on copyright issues. SoundCloud offers better analytics, though Mixcloud users can also get access to analytics with the Pro plan. Finally, Mixcloud has a much smaller user base, though this is likely to change as more DJs migrate to the service due to SoundCloud's crackdown on copyright.

Interested in learning more about marketing your music? Don't miss our resource How to Master Social Media Music Marketing.

Date: August 24, 2016 / Categories: Marketing, Tips, / Author: Johnny