SoundCloud is all about exposing talented artists — if the musicians succeed, then the platform succeeds. Which is exactly why the music streaming service is offering insight on optimizing tracks.
Sometimes just one track is all it takes to make or break an artist. The following are pro tips for hitting the widest possible audience and getting your tracks in front of the right people. Each and every time you upload, consider these rules.
1. Keep your track, album, and playlist titles clean.
This doesn’t necessarily mean swear words, but this tip is all about tightening up track titles. Pretty straightforward.
Bad title: AllxxThexStars051418vfinal
Good title: All The Stars
2. Make the most of images and descriptions
Your music doesn’t need to just sound good, it needs to look good, too. SoundCloud suggests to include something extra, whether it be a track’s backstory, credits, lyrics, gear lists, or guest lists. Giving shoutouts to collaborators is always a good idea. Don’t forget to link to their profile.
The bottom line: choose a writing style whatever way you choose to present your tracks and keep it consistent.
3. SoundCloud genre and mood tags are important
SoundCloud uses an algorithm to recommend tracks to users so it’s important to tag your tracks with accurate genre information, but don’t go overboard.
Tag your tracks with a few relevant sub-genres and any moods that you think describe the track, rather than using as many tags as you can.
4. Build your own SoundCloud discography
Playlists marked as an album, EP, single, or compilation will be displayed in the albums section of your profile.
These collections will be listed in order of release date, which makes it easy for fans to find what they’re looking for. Plus, your profile will look super organized.
5. How to edit multiple tracks at once
You can make changes – update settings, tags, and artwork – to multiple tracks at once and also create a new playlist from a selection of uploads.
To update multiple tracks go to soundcloud.com/you/tracks. Select the tracks you want to change and then click Edit or Add to playlist to make your changes.
Read the full list of tips and descriptions here via SoundCloud.