Use private links to A/B test your tracks. For example, change the lyrics in one track, add different arrangements, offer the song in an acoustic style. Then ask your audience for their feedback. Which do they prefer? Then taмke that information and improve your offering to the rest of the world. Fans love this type of thing. It makes them feel important when they are part of such a vital decision.

You can also host podcasts on Soundcloud. A podcast could be a good way of attracting listeners and convert it to soundcloud followers, who aren't necessarily looking for your music directly. Do a music review show and slip in one of your tracks for greater exposure. If it's good enough, it will stand on its own two feet and reflect in your play stats.

Soundcloud Stats
This section alone could be a whole other post. But briefly, Soundcloud offers in-depth stats to help you monitor your activity. You mostly have access to a suite of tools the music industry were paying millions for access to only 20 years ago.
Your play stats are easily visible in a bar chart on the stats page. You can drill down to specific dates.

You can filter for specific tracks. They also create a most popular tracks list for you too.

It's possible to view listener information by the top listener, top country or region and even top city. Soundcloud will also tell you on what platform your fans are listening, whether that be mobile or desktop. Referral sources provide valuable data, as you can see which websites or apps are getting you the most attention. You can then focus your time and money on growing in that area or improving in other areas.



Main stats bar chart



Extra stats

Soundcloud Monetisation
Today, Soundcloud is a streaming service, but it came under fire in the early years for not offering a system for monetisation. Nowadays, Soundcloud has caught up with the times, and they offer a way to monetise your work. They promote the fact that they offer a matching or better payout per stream than any other streaming service in the music industry.

They pay artist based on a revenue share scheme. The more plays you get, the bigger the share of the pie.

You are automatically eligible for monetisation when you purchase a pro or pro unlimited plan. However, there are a few rules which qualify you or disqualify you.
Your music must be original, and you must own 100% of the publishing. Your track must have had 1000 plays in the past 30 days. And listens have to come from qualifying countries and heard by humans, not music bots. They take care of all the payments and issue your invoice to your email. It's very straight forward.

Be consistent
You need to have a plan. Like all other platforms, the audience will wax and wain. The enthusiasm and buzz for your music is entirely your responsibility in the early days. Just like trying to start a fire in the wild. You may have all the materials and the spark, but unless you are there continually fanning the flames, it's likely to fizzle out. Drip feed your audience new material, images and articles. Talk to the people you find in your space. Offer them something of value, and they will appreciate it. Nowadays, music fans expect high-quality music for FREE and its not difficult to find. The competition is fierce. You need to think up new ways of engaging those fans. Soundcloud is a vital tool to help you do that. The company is continuously changing and improving their services. The platform is virtually unrecognisable from 10 years ago, so be sure to check it out, study it and exploit it for all its worth.