It’s free, and it’s awesome; it’s Soundcloud! Soundcloud is simply the best music sharing and listening platform of all time. It has forged new genres of music over the years and has given a new life to the music industry. If you’re an artist, then learning how to upload music to SoundCloud can help kick start your career. Last year, more than 1 million artists joined SoundCloud for the following reasons:
- To present their music in front of 76 million registered and 175 million monthly active SoundCloud users.
- Soundcloud has more than 272 million subscribers across the world, which increases the chances of getting discovered.
- It’s convenient to get music monetized and make money on this platform.
- It ranks higher than the rest of the music streaming platforms like Spotify etc.
After reading these stats, surely, you’re yearning to publish tracks on this platform. Well, if that’s the case, then sit tight as in this article, we’ll show you how to upload music to SoundCloud through your desktop or your mobile device in just a couple of minutes.
How to Upload to SoundCloud?
Although the process of uploading music files on SoundCloud is pretty simple, there are a couple of things that you should know as a prerequisite.
1. Size Limit
You can’t upload audio files larger than 4 GB on Soundcloud. Some of you might be surprised by this size limit as a regular track’s size is in MBs. This limit was actually set to keep tracks like podcasts in check, which often exceed than planned size, so keep this in mind.
2. Track Time Limit
As a free SoundCloud user, you’ll be limited to upload up to 3 hours of audio. After hitting this limit, you won’t be able to upload your tracks. The best solution for this problem is to purchase a pro unlimited plan in which you can upload as many tracks as you want on your account.
3. Choosing File Format
Select the best audio file format for your tracks to ensure quality. The most common audio format these days is .mp3, but it doesn’t sound very good. That’s why SoundCloud encourages its users to upload tracks. FLAC, AIFF, and WAV formats are superior in quality. Now that you know these basics, it’s time to discover the actual process of uploading.
How to Upload Track on SoundCloud Website?
As mentioned earlier, uploading a track on SoundCloud is extremely easy. Just follow this step-by-step guide, and you’ll be good.
Step 1:
Open your preferred web browser and go to SoundCloud’s website.
Step 2:
“Sign In” to your account by entering the credentials.
Step 3:
Once you’re signed in, look for the “Upload” button on the top right corner of the home page and click on it. (It is located between the search bar and your profile name.)
Step 4:
On the upload page, you’ll be required to upload your track and set its privacy. If you want the general audience to access your track, then set it to the public; otherwise, click on the bubble option labeled as private. After that, simply drag and drop the track to upload it, or click on the or “choose a file to Upload” button to search for the file on your computer.
Step 5:
Once you are done with this step, a form will appear in front of you with a number of fields that you need to fill.
Upload image: Here, you can upload the album art of your track. Custom artwork looks more attractive and catches the attention of the audience, so make sure to add custom-made album art for your track.
Add Title: Enter the title for your track in this field. Make sure that your title is relevant to the content of the track; otherwise, it would mislead the audience and affect your profile negatively.
Add Genre: Click on the “Dropdown” button and select an appropriate genre for your track. Selecting the right genre will ensure that your track appears in the right category, which boosts your exposure, plays, and subscribers.
Add Additional Tags: In this field, you need to add tags that define the sub-genre or mood of your track. This will help the SoundCloud algorithm in recommending your tracks to the right audience, which builds your fan base.
Add Description: Describe your track as best as you can. Talk about its nature and the idea behind its creation. You can also give credits or endorsements in this section.
Add Caption: Give a catchy and attractive caption to the track, which draws the attention of your target audience and makes them want to listen to your music.
Final Step: After filling up all these fields, click the “Save” button at the end of the form. It will take a few minutes for SoundCloud to process your track, and then it will go live. You will also be provided a link that you can use to share it on your social media accounts.
How to Upload on SoundCloud App?
Whether you have an android device or an iPhone, you can upload tracks using SoundCloud app in a couple of taps. Here’s the step-by-step breakdown of this process:
Step 1:
Open the SoundCloud mobile app on your device and “Sign In” to your account if you’re not already logged in.
Step 2:
On the top right corner of the home page, you’ll see an “Upward Arrow” button. Tap on it to see the upload page. (It is located left to the bell icon)
Step 3:
Now, you’ll see all the audio tracks on your mobile device. Tap on the “Track” that you want to upload. (If you do not see the tracks, then go to app permissions and allow SoundCloud to access your files.)
Step 4:
After selecting the track, you’ll see the track details. Here you need to upload the album art for your track and add its title, genre, and description. Also, set the privacy settings using the option at the end of the form.
Step 5:
Once you’ve filled the form, tap on the “Save” button. After you save it, your track will be processed and will go live after a few minutes. You’ll be able to see your profile by tapping the lightning icon on the bottom navigation bar.
Conclusion
See how easy it was to upload your track on SoundCloud. We hope that all you musicians and producers out there reading this article found it helpful and easy to grasp. If you’re stuck on a step and have questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.