Following the acquisition of Repost, in April 2020, SoundCloud launched its Repost by SoundCloud marketing and distribution platform. At the time, it said that it was aimed at “serious artists who want to take their career to the next level”.
Now, all of that has been reborn as ‘SoundCloud for Artists’. The rebranded services platform was announced on Thursday (October 13) by Tracy Chan, SoundCloud’s Senior Vice President of Creator, and former Head of Music at Twitch.
Prior to joining Twitch, Chan was Director of Product Management at Spotify, where he led the strategy and development of analytics tools for artists and labels, including Spotify Analytics and… Spotify for Artists.
SoundCloud for Artists, says Tracy Chan, in a blog post published on Thursday (October 13), is “an elevated, all-in-one platform for artists to connect with fans and accelerate their careers”.
He adds that, “SoundCloud for Artists is now your centralized home for all things distribution, promotion, monetization, and more”.
Chan notes later in the blog post that “SoundCloud for Artists is how we collaborate, create, and celebrate something better together for who’s Next in music” and claims that “SoundCloud is the world’s largest community of music creators, 40M strong”.
In addition to launching the rebranded artist services platform, SoundCloud has renamed its subscription plans, which Chan writes, will “better align with our mission to empower artists with the tools needed to thrive”.
Those plans include:
SoundCloud Basic is now Next (free).
Repost is now Next Plus (Starting at $2.50/month)
Pro Unlimited is now Next Pro (Starting at $12.50/month)
Additionally, SoundCloud says its new dashboard will provide “simplified access” to monetization, distribution, and promotional tools in one location and that all existing tracks and releases have already been automatically migrated to artists’ new dashboards.
Tracy Chan writes in his blog post that “the launch of SoundCloud for Artists and new names of our subscription plans set the stage for what’s next, with new products, features, and services to come”.
Today’s news marks the latest phase in the evolution of SoundCloud’s creator-facing services business.
This part of the business has accelerated since Repost was acquired back in 2019, with Repost playing a central role in SoundCloud’s artist services strategy.
(i) SoundCloud Network, which covered the firm’s main business inclusive of listener subscriptions to its streaming service plus creator subscriptions to its distribution/services business; and
(ii) ‘Creator Services’ which covered the gross royalties being pulled in by music distributed to other services by SoundCloud on behalf of artists signed up to Repost By SoundCloud and Repost Select.
(SoundCloud said that, from 2021 onwards, it’s organizing its business slightly differently, once again into two operating divisions: (i) Fans will cover ads and subscription money accrued by its consumer-facing streaming service; and (ii) Creators will pull together the subscriptions paid by creators to SoundCloud / Repost alongside the spoils of the monetization of their music on other platforms.)
Meanwhile, earlier this year, SoundCloud revealed in an expansive Billboard profile that it’s launching a new white-glove tier of service for indie artists; what it calls the SoundCloud “roster”.
The acts that make it into this tier will receive financial resources from SoundCloud, with some receiving meaningful levels of financial advances and marketing support.
MBW noted in February that while SoundCloud remains best-known as a consumer-facing streaming service (with over 320 million tracks and counting), it’s also been building a significant Creator Services operation, offering artists digital distribution (to multiple platforms), plus other beneficial services to boost their careers.
“With the launch of SoundCloud for Artists, we’re now doubling down on our commitment to these beliefs to lead what’s next in music.”
Tracy Chan, SoundCloud
Writing the blog post published on Thursday, Tracy Chan, said: “At SoundCloud, we’ve driving a more equitable and exciting future for ALL artists. SoundCloud continues to be a creator-first company, focusing on what artists need to build their careers and thrive. We believe that artists, producers, and songwriters are the driving force that continues to push what’s Next.
Added Chan: “We believe that what’s next isn’t determined by algorithms and gatekeepers, but that the true path toward a long and successful career is best achieved by cultivating deep fan relationships and community.
“We believe that artists should be rewarded directly by their fans, so we launched Fan-Powered Royalties, a revolutionary new model that allows artists to be paid based on fans’ actual listening habits.
“With the launch of SoundCloud for Artists, we’re now doubling down on our commitment to these beliefs to lead what’s next in music.”
MBW reported in August that Jeff Ponchick, SoundCloud‘s Vice President, Head of Creator, who co-founded and previously served as the CEO of Repost, was exiting the company.Music Business Worldwide
