SoundCloud Growth in 2025: Lessons and Proven Strategies

Reflecting on 2024: Lessons Learned and Strategies for SoundCloud Growth in 2025

2024 marked my debut on SoundCloud as Jack Righteous, starting fresh in March with a SoundCloud Next Pro membership. While I made more effort to promote my SoundCloud account than my Bandcamp profile ([read about my Bandcamp journey here](insert link to previous article here)), my results revealed a lack of strategy. Here’s a recap of my 2024 experience, lessons learned, and my roadmap for success in 2025.

Results from 2024

• Followers: 120
• Total Plays: 183,000
• Uploads: Over 600 tracks (exact number unclear due to deletions)

My most popular song, “Sweat Drips Take a Sip,” garnered 3.7k plays. While these numbers may seem decent, they underscore several missed opportunities and inefficiencies in my approach.

Lessons Learned from 2024

1. Have a Clear Strategy

SoundCloud was meant to be my pre-Spotify staging area, but I lacked focus. Instead of curating a well-thought-out plan, I got sidetracked by various issues, most notably:

• Copyright Certification for AI Music: SoundCloud Next Pro requires full copyright certification for distribution, even for AI-sourced tracks. Unfortunately, Suno AI does not provide the documentation needed to meet these requirements.

Key Takeaway: If you plan to use SoundCloud as a distribution platform, ensure your tracks meet copyright requirements or adjust your strategy accordingly.

2. Monetization Missed Opportunities

Even though I didn’t use SoundCloud for distribution, I overlooked an easy way to monetize my AI-sourced music. SoundCloud Next Pro allows creators to monetize tracks in just a minute per upload. This simple step could have generated revenue throughout the year.

Key Takeaway: Enable monetization on every track immediately to take advantage of SoundCloud’s monetization tools.

3. Engagement Drives Growth

While there was a significant amount of bot traffic and scammer interactions, SoundCloud also provided genuine listener engagement. When I actively created playlists and engaged with the community, I saw an increase in plays. However, my lack of consistency hindered sustained growth.

Key Takeaway: Consistent community engagement and playlist creation are essential for building a fanbase.

Strategies for SoundCloud Growth in 2025

Armed with insights from 2024, I’m developing a focused plan for growth in 2025. Here are my key strategies:

1. Curate and Organize Content

With over 600 tracks uploaded and some underperforming ones deleted, my SoundCloud page lacked cohesion. This year, I’ll focus on:

• Organizing my uploads into themed playlists.
• Highlighting standout tracks with well-crafted descriptions and tags.
• Deleting or archiving underperforming tracks more strategically.

Actionable Tip: Audit your existing content and group tracks into playlists to improve discoverability and listener experience.

2. Monetize Every Track

I’ll ensure that every track uploaded to SoundCloud in 2025 is monetized. This simple step will allow me to generate revenue, regardless of whether a track goes viral.

Actionable Tip: If you have a SoundCloud Next Pro membership, enable monetization for all your tracks immediately after uploading.

3. Engage with the Community

Building a presence on SoundCloud requires more than just uploading music. In 2025, I’ll:

• Actively comment on other artists’ tracks.
• Participate in relevant groups and communities.
• Collaborate with other creators to expand my reach.

Actionable Tip: Dedicate time weekly to community engagement, including commenting, liking, and sharing others’ content.

4. Refine Promotional Efforts

While I promoted my SoundCloud account more than Bandcamp, I lacked consistency. This year, I’ll develop a promotional calendar to ensure regular updates across social media, email newsletters, and blog posts.

Actionable Tip: Create a content calendar that aligns with your release schedule and includes SoundCloud promotions.

5. Experiment with Ads and Analytics

SoundCloud Next Pro offers advanced analytics that I underutilized in 2024. This year, I’ll:

• Analyze listener demographics and track performance.
• Experiment with SoundCloud’s Promote tool to boost key tracks.

Actionable Tip: Use analytics to identify trends and invest in promoting your top-performing tracks.

Overcoming AI Music Challenges on SoundCloud

For AI music creators like me, navigating copyright requirements remains a hurdle. Until tools like Suno provide the necessary documentation, I’ll focus on:

• Creating original content that doesn’t rely on distribution through SoundCloud.
• Highlighting transparency in my track descriptions to build trust with listeners.

Actionable Tip: Clearly label your AI-sourced tracks and engage with fans to educate them about your creative process.

Explore My New Book on AI Music Creation

For those looking to dive even deeper into AI music creation, I’m thrilled to share my new book, From Text to Track: Mastering AI Music Creation, Monetization, and Growth, now available in paperback. This comprehensive guide includes actionable tips for creating, monetizing, and growing your career as an AI music creator. Discover how to craft impactful tracks, develop your unique sound, and monetize your art effectively.

Connect and Share

SoundCloud offers incredible opportunities for growth when approached with the right strategy. Share your SoundCloud profile in the comments below so we can support each other. Don’t forget to follow me at SoundCloud.com/JackRighteous to hear my latest tracks and playlists.

Conclusion

SoundCloud is a powerful platform for independent artists, but success requires intentionality. By implementing these strategies in 2025, I aim to turn my lessons from 2024 into tangible growth. Let’s make this year one of community, creativity, and consistency on SoundCloud! What has worked for you and what lessons did you learn in 2024?