Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make money on SoundCloud from your music? With over 200 million tracks and growing, SoundCloud is one of the top destinations for artists to share their sounds. But is it realistic to expect financial returns for your creative efforts on the platform?

The answer is yes – you absolutely can monetize your music and make real income through SoundCloud. Unlike the early years when it was just a place to freely upload tracks, SoundCloud now offers artists powerful tools to capitalize on their content.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process for generating revenue from your tracks on SoundCloud. From licensing to advertising and beyond, we break down all the ways you can start making money on SoundCloud. Let’s begin!

Enabling Monetization Settings for Your Uploads

The foundation for building SoundCloud income is to flick the switch on monetization settings for your uploads. This opens up various money-making capabilities tied to your content.

Activating monetization is simple:

Access SoundCloud for Artists

First, you need to access your SoundCloud creator dashboard. Head to the SoundCloud for Artists site and log into your account. This is where you can view analytics, upload sounds, and manage monetization.

Select Tracks to Monetize

Next, browse the tracks you wish to monetize. You can choose a single upload or many. Click the checkbox next to each desired track to enable options.

Open Monetization Tab

For the selected track(s), click on the “Monetization” tab. This brings up settings related to generating revenue from the upload.

Enable Monetization

In the monetization window, check the box “Enable monetization”. Then select your username under each territory/country you want to collect royalties from.

Save Changes

Finally, make sure to save changes at the bottom. Congrats, your tracks are now set up to start making money on SoundCloud!

With monetization enabled, you unlock various income flow channels tied to your content. Next, we’ll explore options to capitalize on your SoundCloud uploads.

Monetizing Through SoundCloud’s Direct Payment Program

One of the best ways to make money on SoundCloud is by tapping into their direct payment channels. SoundCloud has partnered with major music companies to reward artists when their tracks get played or synced by partners.

This includes potential payments when your upload gets used in a YouTube video, played on Spotify, featured in a Facebook video, and more. Anytime your track gets used by a platform, you get paid!

SoundCloud directly pays out whenever your upload gets played on an integrated partner site. As your content reaches wider audiences, you earn income without any extra effort.

It’s passive money from SoundCloud rewarding artists for bringing value to their ecosystem. This can add up to fat payouts over time from your back catalog alone.

Who Can Access the Direct Monetization Program?

To unlock SoundCloud direct payments, you first need to qualify for the program:

• Have an active SoundCloud for Artists’ account
• Uphold all copyright requirements
• Maintain a clean account status conforming to community guidelines
• Your uploaded track must be fully rights-cleared with all proper licenses

Additionally, your content has to reach initial benchmarks to trigger acceptance:

• 5,000 plays in the past month
• 10,000 plays in total

Once you cross these metrics, you can begin collecting payments from integrated platforms playing your tracks.

For newer artists without enough plays yet, SoundCloud offers another alternative…

Using Repost by SoundCloud

Repost by SoundCloud allows any eligible artist to start earning immediately, regardless of play counts.

It works by sharing your music to external sites through SoundCloud embeds approved to generate revenue. This opens up payments faster, especially when you’re just getting started.

When your track gets reposted somewhere by SoundCloud, you receive 55% net revenue from any advertising income generated. This gets injected directly into your SoundCloud account.

Overall, between direct payments and Repost, SoundCloud hands artists fat checks as their music gets used and heard around the web.

Now let’s examine other money moves to employ on SoundCloud…

Selling Your Music Through Third-Party Stores

In addition to built-in monetization, you can sell your SoundCloud uploads through external music marketplaces. This greatly expands your money-making capabilities.

Stores like Bandcamp, BeatStars, Gumroad, and more allow you to sell tracks at fixed prices or flexible “Name your price” options.

You keep the majority cut from all sales. It’s an easy add-on income stream, just sharing purchase links or syncing accounts.

Here are some top stores to sell your SoundCloud music:

Bandcamp

One of the best outlets for selling audio content online. Fans can buy your uploads while still streaming them from Bandcamp. Plus you keep 90-93% from purchases.

BeatStars

Specializing in instrumental sales, BeatStars empowers producers to sell beats while retaining full rights. One of the highest store splits at 97% to artists.

Gumroad

Ideal for independent creators selling all types of digital products. Offers flexible pricing, customizable pages, and 85%+ payouts to merchants.

Amazon Music

Major music stores accessible to hundreds of millions of people. Put your songs for sale alongside mainstream hits.

Junodownload

Leading dance music shop with 20+ years of serving DJs and producers. Caters perfectly to electronic genres and their fanbases.

Selling add-on income without stopping fans from streaming for free on SoundCloud. It’s recurring passive profit that can blow up based on your marketing and audience reach efforts.

Tips to Maximize Your SoundCloud Money

Now that we’ve covered various built-in and external options to make money on SoundCloud, let’s talk strategy.

While setting up your accounts is simple, seeing big financial success takes some savvy tactics. Follow these tips to accelerate your SoundCloud income:

Grow Your Fanbase Aggressively

At its core, making money on SoundCloud depends on fans listening to your music. The greater your audience reach, the higher the potential payouts across all monetization channels.

Employ multi-level strategies to grow followers and engagement:

• Optimize your profile: Fill out your bio, feature the best tracks up top, and use eye-catching artwork and visuals. Offer people incentives to follow you via discounts or exclusive content for supporters.
• Share across social media: Blast your uploads and profile links on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook groups relevant to your genre. Ask friends to share too.
• Run ads: Use Facebook/Instagram lead-generation campaigns to add fans. Target music lovers similar to your current audience. Retarget people who are already engaged.
• Collaborate with influencers: Produce remixes and co-signs on bigger artists’ tracks. Ask rising talents to feature on your songs. Cross-pollinate audiences.
• Publish frequently: Release music often to capitalize on algorithm boosts for new content. Set a doable schedule for your production capacity.

Consistency, persistence, and paying it forward to build alliances expand your music’s reach. This amplifies all income channels.

Engage With Listeners

Beyond just gathering followers, encourage fans to actively stream and share your catalog.

People who passionately interact with your content will drive more plays, reposts, and sales. Income passively grows.

Reply to commenters, ask questions, and post exclusive behind-the-scenes content to spark dialogue. Form personal connections around your music.

Offer Discounts and Sales

Strategic price promotions incentivize fans to purchase your music when the price is right. Limited-time discounts create urgency to buy right away.

During big launches or when you release fresh projects are the perfect time to run sales.

This spikes conversions and cash flow into your pockets. Just don’t oversaturate with constant sales or you risk conditioning fans to only buy on discount. Find the right balance.

Using SoundCloud to Launch a Music Business

We’ve covered many viable ways for musicians to make money on SoundCloud. But the platform offers another crucial benefit for artists:

Low Barrier to Entry

Requiring just basic recording equipment and internet access, SoundCloud provides unlimited uploads and hosting without upfront costs. This removes barriers that previously blocked non-pro musicians.

You can validate interest and build real momentum without deep pockets. SoundCloud helps level the playing field to enter the industry.

Control Over Rights

Unlike record label deals that grab rights and royalties, you maintain full control and ownership over your creations on SoundCloud.

This creative freedom, plus stacking various income streams, unlocks the true potential for artists to thrive independently.

While bringing recordings to life demands effort and refinement of your craft, the business infrastructure is set up for you. SoundCloud allows musicians to focus on developing music and finding fans.

Direct Access to Audiences

Whereas radio and labels act as gatekeepers to listeners, SoundCloud grants you direct access to music fans without middlemen.

Release music instantly to the world. Form authentic relationships with supporters. Share ideas unfiltered through your voice.

This keeps artists tied to those fueling their dreams rather than getting lost in bureaucratic hierarchies.

Overall, treating SoundCloud as more than just a hosting service is an instrumental mindset shift all artists should embrace.

The tools exist to transform musical creativity into a full-fledged business. But it also takes guts to bet on yourself.

Turning Passion Into Profits Starts With You

While the mechanics of making money on SoundCloud are achievable for anyone, enacting the hustle required brings challenges. After the initial hype subsides and boredom or frustration kicks in, will you continue showing up?

When you peel back all the strategies and tech, taking your artistry from a hobby into a profitable profession demands internal resolve. Financial rewards are simply byproducts of the value you offer fans. Listeners won’t eagerly support an artist who doesn’t inspire them.

Dig deep to uncover your “why” for wanting music to be your livelihood. Let this clarity fuel motivation during hard times. The joy will shine through your recordings and uplift people. Leaning only on money leads to burnout.

Embrace SoundCloud as a launch pad for your music to change lives, starting with your own. This mindset sustained by courage swings open the floodgates of abundance.

So elucidate your special musical gifts without compromises. The technical steps outlined here will transform that creative force into earnings. Now venture forth boldly!

Conclusion

Making money on SoundCloud comes down to tapping the powerful tools now available to independent musicians. Through built-in monetization features, third-party integrations, external music stores, and savvy audience-building strategies, generating real income is achievable on SoundCloud.

More importantly, embracing the platform as a launch pad for your music business empowers creative and financial control unmatched elsewhere. Maintaining your copyright, directly accessing fans, and retaining flexibility fosters an ecosystem where you can thrive on your terms.

The infrastructure now exists for any artist, regardless of fame, connections, or experience, to establish a sustainable career. With the right mindset focused on sharing your unique gifts, financial rewards arise naturally. SoundCloud provides jet fuel to ignite that inner spark into an inspiring livelihood.

So get clear on your “why”, set up your accounts properly, produce kick-ass music, and boldly court ears craving your sounds. The rest seamlessly falls into place. Here’s to turning artistic passions into lifelong prosperity!

FAQs

What are the benefits of monetizing your SoundCloud tracks?

Benefits of monetizing your SoundCloud tracks include:

• Earn revenue from plays on YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, etc. when your tracks get synced by partners
• Receive a cut of advertising income when your music gets reposted elsewhere
• Sell tracks directly to fans through stores like Bandcamp, BeatStars, etc. integrated with SoundCloud
• Stack multiple passive income sources that generate money over time
• Maintain full control and ownership of your copyrights
• Payouts scale upward forever as your audience and catalog grows

How can you engage directly with your audience on SoundCloud?

Ways to engage directly with your SoundCloud audience include:

• Reply to comments and message listeners directly
• Offer exclusive content or sales just for supporters
• Go live and interact in real life with fans
• Share behind-the-scenes footage from your creative process
• Post polls and questions to spark discussions
• Gather feedback for song ideas or visual elements
• Give personalized shoutouts to top supporters and reporters

What are some other platforms where you can sell your music besides Sellfy?

Other platforms besides Sellfy to sell your music include:

• Bandcamp
• BeatStars
• Gumroad
• Junodownload
• Amazon Music
• iTunes Store
• YouTube Music
• Spotify
• Pandora
• Tidal
• Beatport
• Bandzoogle
• CD Baby
• eMusic
• MeloDaily

The key is stacking multiple stores and streams to maximize your sales and listening audience across channels. This passive income from music sales and streaming starts compounding.