The debate on which one is better, SoundCloud or Spotify, has been going on since the origin of these two platforms. Even though Spotify has a lot more active users to its name, SoundCloud on the other hand has a lot more tracks in its library for listeners. Both of these platforms are very much similar to one another but comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. They are fruits but that is where the similarity ends. Similarly, both of these are music streaming platforms but their approach towards the users and the music is very different. So, to decide which one is better for releasing music can be a bit daunting. In this blog, it can be tried to state the pros and cons of both platforms for better guidance to the artists in matters of them releasing their music.
Music Library
Spotify provides more than 80 million tracks for its users, which sounds like a lot. It has a plethora of music genres and trending artists for a listener to choose from but SoundCloud may very well take the stage on this one as it provides its listeners with more than 200 million tracks. The easiness of uploading on this platform is one of the reasons for so many tracks to be in this platform’s library.
Algorithms
SoundCloud’s algorithm is not complicated like others and it offers its users a personalized music feed based on what kind of genre they listen to or what kind of artists they listen to. In the case of Spotify, it is said that its algorithm is the most powerful tool of this platform. The algorithm analyzes the listening patterns of the users and finds music according to their likings. The Discover Weekly is one of the most appreciated features of this platform.
Quality
The quality of music is of great importance when it comes to both the artist and the listener and Spotify provides its users with excellent music quality of 96kps on mobile devices and up to 320 kbps and higher on desktop. On the other hand, the music quality of SoundCloud is a bit of a mix. Some tracks are seen to have great quality while others do not but most of the time this platform offers up to 64kpbs.
Earnings
In this aspect, the platforms do not dwell far from each other. Spotify pays about $0.00437 per stream, which means 10,000 plays on this platform will only pay $43.70. On SoundCloud, to be able to get monetized, the artist has to pay for a Premium membership that costs from $8 to $16 per month. In the case of plays, SoundCloud offers around $0.0025 to $0.004 per stream. So, for every 1000 plays, this platform pays around $2.50 to $4.00.
Paid Services
SoundCloud offers a Pro version for $7 per month that enables listeners to listen to music offline with better quality and to stream songs without any kind of advertisement. But that is nothing compared to the 4 premium packages that Spotify has to offer.
