It's not easy for an independent artist, especially if you're looking to monetize your music. While TuneCore can help ensure that your music is distributed to all major streaming services, what happens when you're looking for that extra promotional push? TuneCore's Kevin Cornell has shed some light on the benefits of using all tools at your disposal, particularly emphasizing the harmonious bond between SoundCloud and TuneCore; if you're an aspiring artist, you could very well learn a thing or two from his insight. Check out Cornell's piece below:
If your music is only available on SoundCloud, you should see iTunes, Spotify, and Deezer as parallel avenues of promotion for your latest projects. If you’ve distributed to these stores and haven’t uploaded to SoundCloud yet, now’s the time to jump on it.
Think of it like you would think of your social media strategy: you’ve got a lot of competition, and the wider net you cast, the more opportunity you have to connect with and engage fans – whether they’ve been there since day one or they’ve recently discovered your tunes.
You hear us talking about ‘household name’ streaming platforms and online music stores all the time, from Deezer and Spotify to iTunes and Amazon Music. It’s only natural – TuneCore is proud to help indie artists of all genres get their music out to 150+ digital partners.
But what about streaming platforms like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and AudioMack? Here, artists, labels and other groups can set up their profiles among a massive base of diehard fans, upload their tracks, and instantly start promoting. These channels even show fans how popular a track really is – from reposts, to plays and favorites. If a music fan jumps on one of these channels having no idea who an artist or producer is, the popularity of a song on any given day can turn them into a fan of that artist.
Even if you’re not a registered user on SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or AudioMack, chances are if you’re a music fan that follows their favorite artists closely, you’ve been served the opportunity to listen to a new song using these services. As an artist, SoundCloud is an awesome way to connect with fans and drive virality around your new song. (Or maybe a remix!) TuneCore knows that fans are diverse in their preferences for streaming platforms, so these are just a couple of more opportunities to diversify.
In fact, TuneCore Artists who are prepping the release of their upcoming project on outlets like iTunes and Spotify share early preview singles on SoundCloud all the time. Not only do you get the chance to build excitement about your release, you instantly make a streaming track available to a crowd of frothing-at-the-mouth fans who already prefer to use SoundCloud on the go.
So where does a SoundCloud or Bandcamp upload fit in with the big digital distribution picture? Obviously everyone has their own specific strategy for rolling out new music, but overall, independent artists should see SoundCloud as just another piece of the puzzle alongside iTunes, Deezer, Spotify and the other 150+ digital music partners that TuneCore distributes to. In fact, SoundCloud even has a “Buy” button, where indie artists can drive fans to the digital store of their choice. After all, just because a music fan likes to discover new music on SoundCloud doesn’t mean they shy away from downloads once they’ve committed to a recent favorite.
SoundCloud and Bandcamp ultimately offer you an awesome place to showcase your new tracks, but it’s only one piece of the revenue puzzle.
Don't sell yourself short. Make use of the tools at your disposal. Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of guidance. If you're looking to further ameliorate your knowledge, be sure to check out TuneCore's official website for even more insight into the music business.