April 17, 2017

Here’s some underrated streaming sites that deserve more respect.

S
Contributor

SoundCloud is the world’s largest audio platform. It’s a place where potential stars can show the world their creative talents and where music lovers can enjoy a diverse music selection. Still, a ton of artists get tagged with the social stigma of being a SoundCloud artist with a SoundCloud link in their Twitter and/or other social media site’s bios. The label shouldn’t stop anyone from using SoundCloud but just incase you are wanting to branch out a little, here’s a list of 5 alternatives so that nobody can (technically) call you a SoundCloud rapper.

BandCamp

Yes, the SoundCloud vs BandCamp memes are hilarious and scarily accurate but, don’t forget that it’s genuinely a great platform for musicians and listeners alike. There’s millions and millions of users who listen to and upload music everyday. Plus, artists who upload their music can get paid!

Artist accounts are free and artists keep 95% of their earnings as long as they sign their song up for micro payments, with payouts made through Paypal. Also, artists can sell merch through Bandcamp and keep all of the revenue. The only downfall to this is that listeners may have to pay varied amounts for some songs, EPs, albums, etc. But it’s a great way to see how many of your fans really support your music. www.bandcamp.com

AudioMack

AudioMack and SoundCloud  are probably the fiercest competitors out of all the alternatives on this list. Like SoundCloud, users can repost, make playlists, like, share, download, and stream songs whenever and however they want. Something cool and different about AudioMack is that users can embed videos, watch them on the site, and gain extra plays by clicking the “recent tracks” list in your track’s description. The entire site is ad supported and free for listeners, but artists can opt-in their owned music (or videos) for monetization and get paid. www.audiomack.com

Reverbnation

With 2.5 million musician accounts and quickly growing, it’s not a shocker that they’re on this list. Reverbnation is known for being a useful platform for artists to promote their shows and upload music with as little effort possible. Unlike some streaming services, Reverbnation allows artists to set a price for each piece of music and keep 87% of each sale. Some features that are also included in an account are: embedded Players, advertising, a personal website, unlimited songs, an artist profile, and so much more. There’s a ton to gain using Reverbnation. www.reverbnation.com

Fanburst

Fanburst is the new kid on the block. Although fairly low-key in its current form, this streaming service promises to be introducing new features to artists very quickly. There are hundreds of thousands of different music styles uploaded everyday so there’s nothing to stop artists from branching out. It’s 100% free for both artists and listeners, and simple to use both on a phone and a computer. One of the only small hiccups is that users can’t sell their music directly though the site. Like many other streaming sites, the only way to sell music is to insert a direct link to iTunes, Spotify, etc. Still, it’s a super clean site with great music and opportunity. www.fanburst.com

Youtube

Most people wouldn’t consider Youtube as a place to stream music, yet millions of people are on youtube everyday. Not only that it is the second largest search engine on the world. Artists can distribute songs to youtube with services like TuneCore and Repost Network and contentID their music, collecting revenue from anyone who uses the music in their videos. Or artists can upload themselves with services like tunestotube.com and monetize their own channel. By doing this, it turns the artist’s Youtube channel into a store and they’re able to make profit from of their song per stream. Because it’s so widely used, it allows for many artists to reach a wide audience in one place. www.youtube.com


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