Using SoundCloud Effectively for AI Music: Insights from a Three-Month Journey

Using SoundCloud Effectively for AI Music: A Personal Journey and Best Practices

Over the past three months, I've embarked on a journey to grow my presence on SoundCloud as an AI music creator, primarily using tools like Suno and Udio. From starting with zero followers to reaching a modest audience of over 70 followers and amassing over 100,000 plays, this experience has taught me valuable lessons and best practices. In this blog post, I'll share my insights and strategies that have worked well, aiming to help fellow AI music creators make the most of SoundCloud.

Creating a Professional Profile

Your profile is your first impression on SoundCloud. I ensured my profile was professional and reflective of my brand as an AI music artist. Here’s what I did:

• Profile Picture and Banner: Used high-quality, visually appealing images.
• Bio: Wrote a concise yet compelling bio that highlights my journey and what my music represents.
• Links: Included links to my other social media accounts and website for cross-platform engagement.

Releasing to the SoundCloud Community: Action Plan

Strategy for Releases

One of the key strategies I employed was maintaining a consistent release schedule. Here’s how I approached it:

• Daily Releases: I ensured I had at least one sound released per day. With almost five songs ready to be released daily, I treated working with Suno like a full-time job. This aggressive release schedule was a significant factor in achieving nearly 70k plays in July alone.
• Frequency vs. Quality: In hindsight, I wouldn’t recommend this frequency. While it helped boost plays, the quality of the tracks suffered. It’s better to get 100 likes on one well-crafted track than 10 likes on ten mediocre ones. The rapid release rate led to a mediocre reaction from listeners, which I believe impacted my overall engagement negatively.

Uploading and Organizing Tracks

Quality Over Quantity

Initially, I uploaded over 400 tracks, aiming to cover as much ground as possible. However, I learned that quality often trumps quantity. Here’s what I found effective:

• Initial Uploads: At first, I directly uploaded mp3 files from Suno (back in Suno V3) to SoundCloud. I did this because I was new to the industry and didn't know how to improve the quality. My primary concern was ensuring I didn't spend too much time on a song that might get flagged for copyright infringement. I've been flagged about eight times out of 400 tracks, which can be frustrating, especially with tracks I felt strongly about.
• High-Quality Uploads: I eventually realized the importance of uploading high-quality tracks. It’s crucial to keep a listener engaged for at least 30 seconds for a play to count as a monetized stream. Not taking the time to ensure the best sound quality is a disservice to your efforts. Free tools like BandLab can help improve mixing and mastering. Additionally, I started using Distrokid for distribution, which I recommend to others. You can get 7% off with my referral code Distrokid.
• Playlists: Organize your tracks into thematic playlists. This helps listeners find similar tracks easily and keeps them engaged longer.
• Spring Cleaning: At the beginning of August, I removed about 50% of my tracks. I focused on deleting tracks with zero likes or multiple versions, keeping only my favorite 2-3 versions. This decluttering made my profile more attractive and manageable.

Engaging with the SoundCloud Community

Active Participation

Engagement is key to growing your presence. Here’s how I approached it:

• Comments and Likes: I actively commented on and liked tracks from other artists. This reciprocity often led to more engagement on my tracks.
• Reposts: Reposting tracks from other artists helped me build relationships and increased my visibility within the community.
• Feedback: Soliciting and providing constructive feedback fostered a sense of community and mutual growth.
• Avoiding Bots and Scammers: Be cautious of comments and messages from bots or solicitors. If an account doesn't appear to be a real person, avoid following back. It's common for some accounts to initially show interest in your music but quickly turn into pitches for paid playlist placements or stream boosts. Always remove spammy comments and avoid engaging with such accounts.

Leveraging SoundCloud NEXT PRO Membership

Benefits of NEXT PRO

Upgrading to a NEXT PRO membership was a game-changer. Here’s why:

• Unlimited Uploads: The ability to upload unlimited tracks ensured that I could experiment without constraints. This feature was particularly beneficial as I was producing a high volume of tracks using Suno.
• Promote on SoundCloud: This feature, which allows artists to boost their tracks to a larger audience, was instrumental in increasing my visibility. While I wasn't overly impressed with all aspects of NEXT PRO, the Promote feature helped me gain more plays and listeners, showing that I was taking my music career seriously. Having my featured tracks and playlists promoted drew attention from listeners who might not have discovered my music otherwise.
• Analytics: NEXT PRO offers basic analytics tools, which helped me understand my audience better and tailor my content accordingly.

Biggest Disappointment

My biggest disappointment, though, is my continued inability to get SoundCloud as a distribution partner for my tracks. When I first became a NEXT PRO member, I reached out to the customer service team when my track was rejected, only to find out that they did not support 100% AI music for distribution. Recently, I saw that they partnered with an AI music provider and tried to submit another track, only to be rejected because the cover art I was using was also 100% AI. Long story short, I have been unable to use SoundCloud to distribute any music, and the only monetization I can have is contained to SoundCloud streams. If anyone has had success getting their AI music tracks distributed by SoundCloud, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Remixing and Reworking Tracks

Remixing Strategies

Rather than collaborating with other artists, I focused on remixing my own tracks. Here’s how I did it:

• Reworking Released Songs: I took songs I had already released and reworked them using Suno’s new upload audio feature (6 to 60 seconds) or by improving the mixing and mastering with BandLab.
• Analyzing Audience Reactions: I was often surprised by which tracks received more likes and reposts versus those I expected to be popular. This feedback helped me understand what resonated with my audience.
• Monthly Reconnections: Every month or every other month, I reconnected with fans who liked the original tracks, sending them a message about the new versions. This strategy helped me maintain and grow my fanbase.

Monetizing Your Music

A Missed Opportunity

I made a major oversight by not monetizing my streams from the beginning. Here’s what I learned:

• Early Monetization: Start monetizing your streams as soon as possible to maximize your revenue potential.
• SoundCloud Premier: Joining the SoundCloud Premier program allowed me to earn revenue from my streams, though I’ve only made just under $1 so far. I plan to update on my progress in a future blog post.
• Diversifying Income: Consider other revenue streams like direct fan donations and selling your tracks to supplement your income.

Utilizing Social Media

Direct Linking to Platforms

SoundCloud has a feature that allows you to share a direct link to your track from a preview teaser to various platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. I use this feature 2-3 times per week from different songs on one of my featured lists. This cross-promotion helps drive traffic to my SoundCloud profile and increases engagement with my music on social media.

Conclusion

I wrote this article and shared these lessons learned because AI music is a burgeoning niche experiencing rapid adoption. There is so much to be learned from other early adopters of AI music. Many of us who can tie AI music to something we are deeply passionate about will find great success. I believe in there being enough wealth for all to share, and I’m never worried about keeping things to myself. Just because I am doing something right doesn't mean I can't be doing it better. Let’s connect on SoundCloud! [https://soundcloud.com/jackrighteous]. Make sure to put in your SoundCloud profile in the comments below. If you are on Suno AI like I am [https://suno.com/@jackrighteousmusic], add your Suno profile as well!

FAQs

Q1: How important is a professional profile on SoundCloud?

A1: A professional profile is crucial as it serves as your digital business card. It should reflect your brand and make a strong first impression on listeners and potential collaborators.

Q2: Should I focus on quantity or quality when uploading tracks?

A2: Quality is more important than quantity. High-quality tracks are more likely to engage listeners and gain traction. Organize your tracks into playlists and regularly update your content to keep it fresh.

Q3: How can I effectively engage with the SoundCloud community?

A3: Actively participate by liking, commenting on, and reposting other artists' tracks. Providing and soliciting feedback helps build relationships and fosters community engagement. Be wary of bots and solicitations. Remove spammy comments and avoid paying for playlist placements, as they can harm your distribution account.