If you’re a musician, one of the most important things that you’ll have to think about is how you’re going to promote your music – and obviously, social media is one of the best ways to do that. When it comes to social media though, there are actually two main platforms on it that you’ll want to consider – YouTube and SoundCloud. At Adwizar, we’re happy to give tips on social media for rappers and musicians; we’ll even provide you with a quick rundown of these two biggest websites for promoting music.
YouTube
Founded in 2005, YouTube has become a Goliath when it comes to social media and video sharing. Although it’s not a dedicated platform for music, a large chunk of the website features music. Here are some of the most important things to know (both pro and con) about promoting your music on YouTube:
YouTube reaches the largest audience and carries with it the biggest potential for most listeners.
The audience on YouTube is wide-ranging and will go beyond just simple music fans, which can be both a positive and a negative, depending on what you’re looking for.
If you have a great idea for a music video, you can utilize it to make your song more popular. An interesting video clip (or just a pretty face!) can take a song way further than the song could by itself.
You’ll need video editing software to create your videos though.
The sound quality on YouTube is generally great.
While the community on SoundCloud is typically more positive, the community and comments on YouTube can often be more negative.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a music and podcast streaming program that will let you both upload music and listen to music from across the world. It’s essentially the YouTube of music. Some important things to know about SoundCloud (both pro and con) when it comes to promoting your music include the following:
SoundCloud is by musicians and for musicians – it’s a music community through and through that doesn’t waste its time in other areas. It’s good if you’re looking for hardcore music fans.
It’s a great option if you’re looking to make connections with other musicians.
Plenty of people specifically use SoundCloud to find new music.
SoundCloud benefits a lot from Twitter and Facebook-esque social media usage. When people ‘like’ and ‘repost’ your song, it’ll show up in their news feed. The more your song is reposted, the more exposure it will get.
SoundCloud doesn’t feature videos, though if you don’t have any good ideas (or the money to enact your good ideas), you might be better off just skipping making a video altogether.
The sound quality on SoundCloud isn’t the best. While a layman may not be able to notice a difference, an audiophile can.
So Which Is Best?
Truthfully, they both have their pros and cons and there’s really no clear better option of the two. While you can promote your music on whichever one better fits your needs, there’s also no harm in posting your music on both websites.
