SoundCloud is one of the most popular music streaming platforms in the world right now. It has been contributing greatly to the global music scene for years. Not just for music lovers, it is an excellent platform for musicians who want to showcase their work in front of a worldwide audience. Many artists have found success in the mainstream music industry by starting on SoundCloud.
If you are a budding musician struggling to infiltrate the mainstream music scene, you should start your career on SoundCloud first. The platform is best known for its massive music library. You can even create your own playlists and share them with your followers to spread your music further into the world. When you make a playlist on SoundCloud, remember the below-mentioned tips and guidelines on how to make a playlist on SoundCloud for a perfect execution:
What are SoundCloud playlists?
SoundCloud is a streaming platform that is visited by billions of users every day for their daily dose of music. The platform allows users to create their own playlists with their own or other creators’ songs. They are actually sets of songs that both the musician and regular users can create on the platforms. The playlists can be viewed by clicking on the Playlist tab on the Collection page.
You should create multiple SoundCloud playlists with your songs as per their genre, mood, or occasion. That way your audience will find it easier to navigate through your profile and listen to the song they are interested in.
Primary differences between SoundCloud public and private playlists
SoundCloud allows you to create two types of playlists: Private and public playlists. But most of the users do not know how to create a playlist on SoundCloud. The platform allows the users to make the decision whether they want to keep their playlist private or public.
Public playlist
Public playlists as the name suggests have a privacy setting for the public. That means, everyone who visits your page or searches for a song that is in your playlist can see the playlist. As an emerging artist, you should create multiple public playlists, consisting of your songs so everyone can listen to them.
Private playlist
Private playlists cannot be seen by everyone. You can keep your unreleased or the songs you want to release soon in a private playlist. That way you can easily upload them on SoundCloud by just changing the setting on the playlist.
The best thing about this set is that you can make your playlist private or public anytime you want.
Why do you need to create SoundCloud playlists?
As one of the biggest music streaming platforms, SoundCloud allows users to add their songs to playlists. You can either add your own songs or other people’s songs to a playlist. Here are some of the reasons why you must create playlists of your own:
1. Better exposure
Your music can get better online exposure by getting added to a playlist. At the beginning of your SoundCloud career, you cannot expect other users to add your songs to their playlists. So, you need to create your own playlists with your songs. Here is a trick to get more online visibility in a very short time: include some trendy and popular songs in your playlists as well. That way, people searching for those tracks will see your playlist in their search results and find your songs in the process.
2. Helps audiences navigate
When a user visits your page they may want to listen to a particular type of song. But they may get lost finding the particular song in your collection. If you create playlists based on genre, occasion, mood, etc, the visitors will find it easier to listen to the songs they are interested in.
3. Brings more plays
Creating playlists is a great way to bag a massive number of plays on the songs on SoundCloud. Many people search songs using tags based on genre or mood. Playlists based on those themes are bound to appear in the search results and get seen by millions of people instantly.
4. Best for social sharing
Sharing your music on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or more can bring you high traffic on your songs on SoundCloud. Playlists are easier to share and you get to share a bunch of songs with just one post without crowding your profile.
5. Brings you international fame
Music is a universal art, recognized all over the world. So, a musician in the US can have a potential fan in Japan. SoundCloud playlists bring international audiences to your profile as the platform is used by and popular among music lovers all over the world.
How to create SoundCloud playlists
You cannot create a playlist without songs on SoundCloud, unlike other streaming platforms. First, you have to add the songs to create a new playlist. Here is the step-by-step guide to creating a SoundCloud playlist:
1. Create a SoundCloud profile
Before you can make a SoundCloud playlist, you have to have an account on the site. Go to the website of SoundCloud and click on the ‘sign up’ button in the top right corner. After that, a pop-up screen will appear with three options for creating an account. You have to choose from Google, Facebook, or email to open the account. You will have to agree to the terms of use and privacy policy of SoundCloud and then fill out the form to complete the signup. Now, you are ready to upload your songs and add them to your playlists. There are three ways you can add songs to your playlists:
A) Through the website
Use this guide when you are creating SoundCloud playlists through the website on a web browser:
• Go to the website of SoundCloud and chose the track you want to add to your playlist.
• There is a More button at the bottom of each track. You have to click it and then select Add to playlist.
• The platform will ask you to choose a playlist or create one if you don’t have any at the moment.
• When you create a new playlist always give it a name based on its genre or mood.
• Set the privacy setting to either private or public.
• Do the same with the next song you want to add to a playlist.
B) From the iOS
SoundCloud can also be accessed through your iPhone. For iOS, SoundCloud has its own application that is used by both musicians and listeners.
• First, open the SoundCloud app on your iPhone.
• Decide which song you want to add to your playlist. It can be your own song or one you like.
• Click on the three dots on the right side of the song you have selected.
• Next, select Add to playlist.
• SoundCloud will show you the list of existing playlists. You can either choose from the list or create your own.
• If you don’t have a playlist yet, the platform will automatically create a new one for you. You can name it as per your choice and save it.
C) On an Android app
SoundCloud is available on Android as well. The process of creating a playlist on the Android app is very simple. Follow the below-mentioned guide to create SoundCloud playlists on your android device:
• Go to the SoundCloud app and click on the three-dot menu beside the track that you want to include in the playlist.
• Next, you will see the Add to playlist button. Click on it.
• Next click on the create playlists button.
• You can add the songs to the existing playlists or create a brand-new playlist.
• Give it a name, set the privacy to public or private, and press save to create your playlist
Creating a playlist alone will not bring you the desired number of views on your songs. You have to put some effort to it to spread it across the target audience. The best way to make your playlists gain the maximum audience engagement is to hire a professional music marketer that offers legitimate and effective SoundCloud music promotion service at affordable prices.