Making music is a really exciting and fun experience, sometimes all you want to do is to share it with your friends.
Instead of clunkily sending mp3s across emails, there is now a wealth of online platforms where you can host and post your music so that your friends as well as potential new fans can listen and enjoy your art!
One of these platforms is known as SoundCloud, it’s a really popular platform that has lots of fun features and cool design.
SoundCloud is generally a home for the independent artists of the world, you’d be shocked to hear that most DJs and even rappers get their start on SoundCloud.
You could be the next artist to pop off from this platform, just follow these simple steps to upload music to SoundCloud and it could be your first step to creative success!
Table of Contents
What Can I Upload To SoundCloud?
In terms of files SoundCloud supports most lossy audio files such as MP3, MP3 OGG, AAC, AMR and WMA. Yet, we would recommend,as would Soundclouod, that you upload in a lossless format such as WAV, FLAC, AIFF, or ALAC.
The largest file size you can upload is 4GB uncompressed. If a file is over this data limit then you can split it into separate uploads if you so wish.
This means your upload to SoundCloud can't be any longer than 6 hours and 45 minutes – but that would be an impressive first track for sure!
This large 4GB allowance means that you can upload anything you want in terms of form. This includes podcasts, DJ mixes, audio interviews, audio plays, and of course, your own songs.
Do You Need A Subscription Plan To Upload Music To SoundCloud?
Yes and no. One thing you will need is your own profile and account on SoundCloud, you may already have one to archive other tracks you enjoy by liking or reposting things to your own profile, in any case this is a good way to engage with the brimming community present on SoundCloud.
Having your own profile that is unique to you, with information about who you are, is a great way to start marketing your music beyond pressing uploading and just leaving it.
SoundCloud provides different subscription plans for different users, both free and paid. The Free plan on SoundCloud gives you a total of 180 minutes (3 hours) of upload time.
A Pro user can upload a total of 360 minutes (6 hours), while a Pro Unlimited user has no upload limit at all.
Depending on the type of audio you are uploading, the free uploads could be enough for you.
If you are planning to upload regularly then we would suggest investing in the Pro subscription plan which isn’t too expensive, this allows more control over your uploads.
But if you have a basic SoundCloud profile, you will have an allowance of free uploads before you have to pay.
Things To Consider When Uploading Music
So, maybe you have a track or mix you have been working on for a while and think that now is your time to show it to the world.
Sometimes releasing music isn't as simple as just hitting upload, you may want to consider how you record it and what makes something worth releasing.
We have some tips to consider when uploading music:
Is It Your Best Work?
When you are uploading music you have to walk the line between being a perfectionist but also not being a loose cannon.
It's worth considering that this track or mix or podcast will be the first track that creates your back catalogue and that you want it to be good.
We think that whatever you release you should be proud of, but that means ironing out those niggling errors or that guitar lick you know you could have done better.
But this is part of being an artist, understanding when something needs more work so that you can upload it and be proud of it, and also when to stop perfecting.
Just Upload It!
Like we said, being an artist is walking a line between perfectionism and placation. Just as much as thinking ‘is this the best I can do?’, we should also be wary not to perfect things too much. Just like a painting, one stroke could ruin a whole painting.
Sometimes we need to just bite the bullet and release our art for the world to see and forget what people think. There’s probably so many amazing artists out there we have never heard of because their perfectionism stopped them releasing music.
How To Upload To SoundCloud
Uploading music to SoundCloud is a pretty easy process that doesn’t require too much on the end of the artist.
Choose The File To Upload
Simply click on the ‘Upload’ tab that should be right next to your profile icon shortcut. On this dashboard you should be able to see how many of your upload allowance is left.
Either drag and drop your file into the dashboard or select ‘choose files to upload’, locate your file and upload in the format you choose.
Market That Track!
One cool thing about uploading on SoundCloud is that they give the artist a lot of choice and control over the way their track looks.
There are loads of things you can customize such as the track title, upload an image you have chosen for your track, write a track bio, change how it looks on a feed, and add tags.
All these features are super useful and fun, the more fun or the more effort you put into making an interesting track bio or track name could be the difference between someone clicking on your track or not.
Try to grab attention with an interesting picture, or even your own art. The tags are a useful way to optimize your track to the SoundCloud search engine, meaning your track will come up when people search the tagged terms – super helpful tools to be aware of.
Now It’s Up To You
Once you hit upload you can take the track down whenever you want as well as edit it without taking it down. Now your music has been shared with the world, but it doesn’t stop there
Share your music with friends, family and anyone who is interested in your music taste. People love finding new music and it seems all the more personal when the recommendation comes directly from the artist.
While SoundCloud do their best to get your track that precious playtime, you can certainly boost this up by being loud and proud about having released some music.
A Final Word
Uploading music can be a scary experience, like showing a part of yourself that is vulnerable and no one has seen before, but we think you will regret it more if you chose not to share it.
Forget what other people think and do it for yourself, be confident in your skill and release music you can be proud of.
Specifically on SoundCloud you have access to a few hours of free uploads, but if you plan on uploading on SoundCloud for the future then we recommend getting the Pro Unlimited subscription that gives you unlimited uploads.
