SoundCloud artists and fans can now send and receive direct messages (DMs) in the SoundCloud iOS app, as well as on Android and the web.
The ability to message fans — and for fans to message artists — isn’t available on Spotify, Apple Music, or any other major music streaming platform.
What SoundCloud DMs mean for artists and what they don’t
SoundCloud DMs are an important innovation as one-to-one superfan or musician-to-musician networking tools, but they are not a tool to share an announcement with all their fans. For those blasts, an artist’s email list and messages through Bandsintown For Artists are more useful
“Streaming doesn’t work for the vast majority of artists,” wrote Tracy Chan, SoundCloud as SVP of Creator while announcing the new feature last month. “Why? Because streaming services don’t tell you who your fans are. Instead, they run business models based on selling you access your fans.”
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Some of the ways SoundCloud suggests using the new DMs are:
- Send a DM directly from a profile page. “Do you have a music crush? Let them know! Just click the ‘Message’ button at the top of their profile.”
- Share your favorite songs and playlists with friends. “You can include your latest discovery by adding a playlist or track directly from the DMs.”
- Connect directly with your favorite artists and get noticed.
- Share your work in progress by adding a secret link. This is a reliable and easy way to share a private track or playlist. “
- Make sure you get email notifications for new DMs (or not). You can adjust this setting in the Notifications tab in Settings. You can also control which email is connected through Settings.
- If you only want to receive messages from people you followYou can control who messages you from the Privacy tab in Settings.
“From sharing songs and playlists to sending heartfelt messages and invites to collaborate, DMs are the best way to connect and build your network,” said Rohit Agarwal, Chief Product Officer of SoundCloud. “It’s easy to get noticed by your favorite artists when you can connect directly with them one-on-one.
Read more here.
Bruce Houghton is the founder and editor of Hypebot, senior advisor at Bandsintown, president of the Skyline Artists Agency, and professor at Berklee College Of Music.