The Set Up<\/h4>\n
Remember, first impressions always last.<\/strong><\/p>\n You want to make sure that everyone that visits your Soundcloud profile immediately gets a good impression of you.\u00a0 Therefore, it\u2019s crucial that you make sure that all the account set-up details are set correctly.<\/p>\n The essentials should all be put in place, and presented nicely.<\/p>\n The extension that your profile has on Soundcloud should be identical to the ones you have on other social media platforms.\u00a0 If you\u2019re running with www.facebook.com\/thebestbandever, then you want the same \u2018\/thebestbandever\u2019 extension on your Soundcloud account.\u00a0 You can edit this in your account settings, under \u2018Basic Profile\u2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Increasingly more so, social media profiles have become the go-to of the younger generation.\u00a0 The majority of people, and particularly the demographic of 15-25 years old, immediately looks to social media profiles when further investigating an artist they have just discovered.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve come across a band that you liked on Facebook, went to their \u2018about\u2019 section and discovered that there weren\u2019t any links to their other social media profiles there.\u00a0 Annoying right?\u00a0 So straightforward, yet this key point is missed out on by so many acts.<\/p>\n Soundcloud has integrated the ability to add social media links to your profile, and even adds the correct thumbnail images to the links of the larger sites.\u00a0 You can edit these under your \u2018Advanced Profile\u2019 settings.\u00a0 When setting these up, I recommend that you restrict the amount of networks you use.\u00a0 The essential links are: website (www.thebestbandever.com), Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.<\/p>\n Everything else is irrelevant, and the more options you present to people, the less likely they are to click any of them.<\/p>\n Soundcloud is a community platform that\u2019s heavily focused on allowing you to discover new stuff, through what\u2019s trending and by involving findings and content of people you\u2019ve already connected with.\u00a0 As a result, a halfway decent Soundcloud stroller will often come across a new act.<\/p>\n A common mistake I see bands make, is that they don\u2019t provide a short and to-the-point biography, and some contact information, on their profile.\u00a0 Now sure, we can all agree that if you\u2019re an act with the reputation and following the size that deadmau5 has, you\u2019ll get away with not caring.\u00a0 But if you don\u2019t, then better sort this stuff out.<\/p>\n Ideally, you place your content email address on top, or that of your booker\/manager, followed with a short bio of who you are.\u00a0 The bio should be about 50-250 words, and looks best when written in third person.\u00a0 Include something about who you are, what you do, any labels you\u2019re associated with, and integrate some achievements.\u00a0 Some acts also like to integrate their gig agenda, or archive, however I feel that\u2019s pointless as no one will look to your Soundcloud profile for that.<\/p>\n Integrate these steps, and get your profile looking right.<\/p>\n People go to your Soundcloud profile to listen to your music.\u00a0 When they do, they\u2019ll either listen to the first track that\u2019s on top of your feed, or to the one with the most plays and comments.<\/p>\n What you want to do, is to make sure that these people have a good shot at listening to some of your best material.\u00a0 And, that they\u2019ll be easily able to identify the tracks, who made them, what type of mixes and recordings they are, and any sub-genres or influences they\u2019re specific to.<\/p>\n For people that are new to your band, and music, you only have a single shot at impressing them.\u00a0 You know how it goes: if you discover a new artist, you\u2019ll give one track, maybe two, a shot, and if those aren\u2019t to your liking, you\u2019ll move on.\u00a0 Therefore, it\u2019s essential that you don\u2019t place everything you make on your Soundcloud account.<\/p>\n Sure, a Soundcloud upload is less definitive than a track distributed to iTunes or Beatport, however it\u2019s still in the public domain, and fans you win on Soundcloud can certainly become paying customers for gigs and actual releases.\u00a0 Ideally, your profile should become a showcase of all the amazing finished work you\u2019ve made and released, so that every potential visitor can be amazed and impressed by your prowess.<\/p>\n When considering an upload, think of it like this: Is this ready for release?\u00a0 Do I consider this a finished track?\u00a0 If so, then go for it, put it up.<\/p>\n There will also be people that argue that they like placing \u2018work in progress\u2019 tracks on their profiles, and that Soundcloud is the platform on which they feel free enough to do this and get some live feedback from their friends and fans.\u00a0 To that, I argue that the majority of the biggest acts out there don\u2019t do it, and that the benefit of getting that live feedback will be far less than that of giving a great impression off the bat.<\/p>\n Your music should be instantly findable, based on the track title, your artist name, and the keywords and genres associated with it.\u00a0That\u2019s why it\u2019s important that you label everything correctly.<\/strong>\u00a0 With the new Soundcloud update, the platform now suggests that adding your artist name in a track upload is no longer essential.\u00a0 I say that\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n Why? Because with the new re-post feature, people can now re-post your tracks to their own feed.\u00a0 And the only way to then trace the name of the original artist is by looking at the miniscule reference to the original uploader.\u00a0 Not the way to go.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In terms of genre, always make sure to place the correct genre as the first \u2018Keyword\u2019 to the track. You want to do this, because Soundcloud has an explore function, which indexes all the \u2018trending\u2019 tracks within a particular genre.\u00a0 Soundcloud\u2019s only way to define the genre is through the keywords, and the first one that\u2019s embedded in the player, is often the most valuable in determining that. Alternatively, the platform\u2019s search function browses through keywords as well, so if you search for \u2018electro\u2019, it\u2019ll find tracks who have that word embedded in its title, keywords and lastly description.<\/p>\n Other keywords that are important to include are the original artist, associated artists, record label and possibly the place where you\u2019re from, or clubs you\u2019ve played.<\/p>\n Apply a filter on what you upload, and when you do decide to put something up, make it easily findable and recognizable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apart from the music, the most essential element of Soundcloud is its community aspect.\u00a0 If you manage to maintain and interact with these properly, you\u2019ll be able to foster a growing community, establish new relationships and develop true fans.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a few basic rules of conduct that would serve every artist on Soundcloud well to adhere to.<\/p>\n This is the most common mistake I see artists make on Soundcloud.\u00a0 The majority of them use the platform daily, but don\u2019t bother to log into their own account, and like and interact with the stuff they like.<\/p>\n An engaged and lively account is much more likely to foster a community, and will also force you to get a true feel of the intricacies of the platform.<\/p>\n So, every time you use it, log in, like the tracks you love, and keep it buzzing.<\/p>\n The whole idea behind the comment system, and the waveform players, is that people would be able to leaving precise and constructive feedback on people their music.\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to add value, to help artists make better music, and to allow fans to praise what they think is great.\u00a0 There\u2019s always been a group of people on that platform that place comments along the lines of<\/p>\n \u201cGreat track! If you like this, I just made a new EP. Check it out!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Never EVER be that guy!<\/strong><\/p>\n When you comment on people their tracks (which you should actively do by the way\u2026 interact with the stuff and artists you truly appreciate), make sure to add value.\u00a0 A simple \u2018Nice\u2019 or \u2018Great drop\u2019 works, but doesn\u2019t hold as much value as actually giving some intricate feedback.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be hesitant to be critical either.\u00a0 Usually, the more honest and critical feedback is more likely to get a dialogue started.<\/p>\n Elaborate and constructive comments can be conversation starters, and will also lead people to check out your profile.\u00a0 And if you do it this way, it\u2019ll actually be genuine, and not from screaming for attention.<\/p>\n Add value, to get value.<\/p>\n This is one of the most overlooked, yet most powerful ways to harness the community aspect of Soundcloud.Reply to EVERY comment someone makes on one of your tracks.\u00a0 It\u2019s by far the best way to get people to come back to your profile, and they\u2019ll likely proceed beyond that (by checking your website or other social-media platforms), because it shows of genuine interest.<\/p>\n Doing this is simple: you go to one of your tracks, and you click on the little comment bubble indicator which shows how many comments a track has.\u00a0 That\u2019ll take you to a list of the comments, where you can click on each of them to place a reply.\u00a0 When you do, place comments that actually make sense.<\/p>\n A genuine \u2018thank you\u2019 works, but prevent yourself from typing the same \u2018thank you\u2019 responses to numerous comments. Personalize the stuff.<\/p>\n These are essential basics that you should integrate in the way you work with Soundcloud.\u00a0 Implement these consistently, and you will see cumulative results coming through in your fan base growth and engagement. You might even make some actual friends.<\/p>\n My experience using these tricks has been absolutely great, and I can truly say that I have fallen in love with the platform.\u00a0 It\u2019s such a good way to help people connect, and if used correctly, it can really contribute to a rising musician\u2019s growth.<\/p>\nMistake #1: Your URL Isn\u2019t Consistent With Other Platforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"SC1\"](\"http:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/SC1.png\")
<\/p>\nMistake #2: Social Links Are Missing, Entirely<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"SC2\"](\"http:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/SC2.png\")
<\/p>\nDescription and details<\/h4>\n
Mistake #3: Basic Bio and Contact Information Is Missing.<\/h3>\n
![\"SC3\"](\"http:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/SC3.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Content<\/h4>\n
Mistake #4: The Best, Most Representative Work Isn\u2019t Readily Presented.<\/h3>\n
Mistake #5: And don\u2019t upload everything!<\/h3>\n
Mistake #6: Uploading half-baked, \u2018work in progress\u2019 tracks.<\/h3>\n
Track Details<\/h4>\n
Mistake #7: Simple mislabeling.<\/h3>\n
For track titles, stick to the following format: \u201cArtistname \u2013 Track Title (Mix Type)\u201d<\/h4>\n
Mistake #8: Forgetting to Identify Your Genre<\/h3>\n
Code of Conduct<\/h4>\n
Mistake #9: Not using your account!<\/h3>\n
Mistake #10: Never spam others.<\/h3>\n
Mistake #11: Not adding value in your comments.<\/h3>\n
Mistake #12: Not replying to all comments<\/h3>\n
Mistake #13: Replying as a bot would.<\/h3>\n
![\"SC4\"](\"http:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/SC4.png\")
<\/p>\n