Are SoundCloud plays worth buying?
Let’s start with the most basic question. Do you actually want to spend money on SoundCloud plays, to increase your social proof?
Basically, no. There is no real reason why you want to do that. You are simply buying an increase in numbers, but there is a bit more to it than that.
So, let’s dive in and see why and how you want better engagement on your profile, and even get SoundCloud plays for free!
SoundCloud, the top independent Music Streaming Service
When Soundcloud started in 2007, it was instantly obvious. This could be the next best streaming platform for independent artists.
And, in my opinion, it still is. Even with additions like SoundCloud Pro, SoundCloud Go, Spotlight and some other features, it pretty much stayed the same as it started.
You upload your song, demo or even podcast to SoundCloud and share it with the world.
It was easy to create an account, build a semi-professional profile, and upload your first song.
Sharing your music with friends and family was fun, but you could also share it with the world!
Soundcloud offered (and still does) many options to simply share a link to your songs, or embed a full player on your website! What a great way to start as an artist!
Nothing wrong so far. However, as you might have found out, after doing this, the actual interactions with your songs are not as good as you want them to be.
While SoundCloud offered a good platform for many famous artists (Post Malone and Billie Eilish Lill Nas X, just to name a few), it seems to be a bit difficult to get good engagement in your music and become as successful as them.
What is up with that?
Assuming you have created a good-looking profile and uploaded some cool tracks and high quality music, this does not automatically ensure a ton of new fans within weeks.
This is where you would start with your first question…
How can I get more plays on SoundCloud for free?
You will probably start with the free options. Sharing your music onto various social media platforms, adding a link to our profile, description, and maybe even sharing some of its content through DMs.
Yes, that could get you some plays on some of your tracks, but it is by far the best way to get a decent following on SoundCloud. (Seriously, you should avoid sending people your music through DM’s).
Even if you manage to find your target audience with this strategy, in most cases, these efforts will not result in a higher number of plays or more SoundCloud followers.
And, you have to keep doing these things in order to get some small results. So, not very beneficial.
Then you start asking yourself…
What happens if you buy SoundCloud plays?
You see it everywhere if you search for it. Competitive prices, promises of thousands of SoundCloud followers and SoundCloud plays, and almost instant success.
The options to purchase SoundCloud plays seem so easy, why not try it out?
They seem to offer high quality services. Fast delivery, money-back guarantee, real plays, and they all claim to be totally safe!
[Insert buzzer noise] Nope! On pretty much all parts except the fast delivery. Yes, you could see some quick results, with an increase in your followers and plays.
But, what are they exactly? Who are those people, and why do they click on my tracks and follow my music?
Well, they are most likely not people. They are probably bots. Computers with software that contains fake accounts or simply programs. They will add those accounts as followers, or use them to generate SoundCloud plays on your tracks in no time.
So, after you buy SoundCloud plays, the bots start clicking for the amount of money you have paid them, and then they stop.
Hmm. Not so great.
So, does buying SoundCloud followers help my music career?
Let’s put it this way. You have spent time on your music production, why not on music promotion?
This is the thing that always gets me. I have seen and heard many artists that create very awesome and professional music. They have spent hours on composing, recording, mixing and producing great-sounding tracks. But when they start uploading their music to social media, and SoundCloud in this case, all the effort simply vanishes. They start buying SoundCloud plays, YouTube vies, followers on Instagram and more.
I cannot imagine that it brings the same joy as getting genuine plays on your tracks after a real person listened to it and complimented the lyrics or music.
You will never get that with fake plays!
Another good reason is the legality of it all. It is technically illegal to buy SoundCloud plays. It is even in their terms of service (more or less).
While you might not get banned directly after buying your first fake views and plays on SoundCloud, there is always that chance of it happening.
I would not risk that, to be honest.
I guess if you do this in small amounts, and on a profile that already has some followers and plays, you might get away with it.
However, if SoundCloud suspects weird activity on your profile, they might suspend your account.
Can you buy real SoundCloud plays?
As a matter of fact, you can! You can find several services that help you to get more exposure to your music, and they offer real people who actually listen to your music!
The pricing of these services varies greatly, and the results are different, but instead of buying simple plays and followers, you might give them a try.
If you want to get the best results, you want to start with a music marketing plan. Write down what your ultimate goal is in music (get more album sales, land more gigs, become a well known music teacher, etc.) and start building towards that goal.
Try out various social media interactions and platforms. Post various content for a few months, and see what works best for you and your audience.
Also, do a bit of research on your best audience. Who are they, which platform are they using the most, and what do they like to share on their profiles?
The more information you have, the better your future promotions will be.
You will also need this information if you start using Ads on Facebook or Google.
With all this info, you can start your promotion strategies.
Investing in Google Ads could be a good start. Start with a small budget (you can get good results with 25 dollars a month, which is the same pricing as a SoundCloud plays bundle!) and build up from there.
If you want to take ads more seriously and use them as a long-term strategy, check out this guide here.
But what if I really, really want to buy SoundCloud followers?
Ok, so if you have read all this and still want to give it a try and buy SoundCloud plays, here are some services that promise you real followers.
To be honest, I have not tested them, but I have read some good reviews on some of them.
So, use them at your own risk 🙂
All the services above promise you real engagement, and as you might find out, they offer this in a few different ways.
They all seem to promote your music to real people, you might end up getting more engagement and possible new fans.
(Lots of assumptions, I know, but you know I am always a bit skeptic on this topic)
Again, using these services does not promise you instant success. They promise you a bit more engagement and an increase in followers/plays, which they also deliver.
A notable different competitor would be SoundCloud pro.
What better way to find a valuable promoter than the platform itself. This will make you no instant top artist, it can be a secure way to help you get that boost that your music needs.
You can try them out here:
Conclusion and a positive note:-)
You might have noticed a slightly negative free in this post. That is for a good reason.
I am not a big fan of these strategies. I would rather go with paid ads that are highly targeted. I have seen many musicians with great, long-term results with this strategy.
And that might be the biggest turn down. Buying followers, plays, views, etc., are all short-term actions with no results. It is like paying random people on the streets to listen to your album. Actually, even worse than that, but you get the idea, haha.
In the end, it is your decision, as it is your music(career). It would be awesome if your music would reach a large group of superfans!
Keep making awesome music and share it with the world.
Maurice from Music-Mindet.com
