SoundCloud introduces fan powered royalties, a new pay model for independent artists making a more equitable and transparent way for emerging and independent artists to earn money on SoundCloud. Fan-powered royalties are a new model of payouts that is driven directly by an artist’s fan base. With this move, each listener’s subscription or advertising revenue is distributed among the artists that they listen to, rather than their plays being pooled – benefiting rising independent artists with loyal fans.
Michael Weissman, Chief Executive Officer, SoundCloud said, “Many in the industry have wanted this for years. We are excited to be the ones to bring this to market to better support independent artists. SoundCloud is uniquely positioned to offer this transformative new model due to the powerful connection between artists and fans that takes place on our platform.”
Fan-powered royalties levels the playing field for independent artists by tying payouts to fandom. Artists are now better equipped to grow their careers by forging deeper connections with their most dedicated fans and, in turn, fans can directly influence how their favourite artists are paid. Fan-powered royalties reflect feedback from the independent artist community on SoundCloud who want equitable payouts, transparency, and control over their own careers.
The nearly 100,000 independent artists monetizing directly on SoundCloud through SoundCloud Premier, Repost by SoundCloud or Repost Select will benefit from fan-powered royalties beginning on 1st April 2021.
SoundCloud has produced a dedicated microsite where you can find more information on fan-powered royalties here.
SoundCloud was founded in 2007 and now has over 250 million tracks from 30 million creators heard in 190 countries.
