How Do I Check How Much Upload Time I Have Left On Soundcloud

With anybody talking about the typical social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, I thought it was time to speak on some lesser known social networking sites, specifically music-centric ones. The 2 music social sites that we'll focus on today are SoundCloud and Mixcloud, digital music distribution platforms that permit you lot to share your music with the world. And like any system, they tin work to your advantage with a little deduction and strategy. I'one thousand speaking from experience after having cultivated a following of over 5000 users across both platforms in about year (to break information technology down, about 100 new followers per week). Best of all, these results are repeatable with a few uncomplicated techniques that take minutes to complete (or no time at all with automation). Only earlier we get ahead of ourselves, permit's talk virtually how these systems piece of work.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud is ane of the about popular music distribution platforms on the internet, attracting over 175 million unique monthly listeners, according to Alexa.com. SoundCloud's most pop features include

Unique URLs created with every upload that tin be easily shared on things like Facebook and Twitter.
A massive user base of operations of more than 40 million users. As a consequence, SoundCloud claims that over half the songs that are uploaded are played within the start thirty minutes, and 90 percent of all uploaded tracks receive a listen from at least one user.
Groups that can be created past registered users that provide a common space to share uploads. They are usually organized by discipline matter, genre, or geography.
A Facebook-esque experience that provides directly messaging, a followers/friends organisation, a timeline-like post system, etc.
A dashboard that provides detailed analytic data regarding your listeners.

SoundCloud Loves Capricious Restrictions

SoundCloud isn't without its flaws. For one, SoundCloud is very restrictive with regard to what a user can do and how frequently. These rules are similar to other websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter websites that limit a user'southward actions out of necessity and/or common sense. However, what sets SoundCloud apart (in a bad manner) is the fact that they don't publish these rules (limits per day, maximum amounts of followers, etc.). What'due south more, the only way you larn almost these limits is by breaking them, which is not an activeness without consequence.

For example, let's say y'all discover a group on Facebook that has users with which you'd like to connect/interact. In most cases, you lot'd only add together them to your friends list, exist it 50, 500, or more. Facebook probably wouldn't take any bug with this, too, as long as yous didn't add together everyone at one time (even though you probably could get close depending on the number). On the other hand, SoundCloud isn't so friendly and limits your "follow" activity to around forty actions per day, like to websites like LinkedIn. But when you lot exceed SoundCloud's limit, you're banned from post-obit people for an increasing amount of time (in increments of days). To top it all off, if you repeatedly intermission these unpublished rules, SoundCloud volition delete your business relationship. It's draconian and makes growing your account that much more hard and time consuming.

SoundCloud Doesn't Desire Y'all to Take Friends

SoundCloud likewise limits your friends (people that y'all ask to follow, similar to Twitter) to a total of 2000. In other words, yous can only try to connect with a maximum of 2000 people per account, like to LinkedIn's limit on sending request to join your network but with a hard and fast limit. Information technology'd be like Facebook saying you lot tin only ask 2000 people to be your friend…ever. And sure, it seems similar a lot of people until you lot consider how many asking you'll make over the life of your account (for those keeping score, you'll hit the ceiling after adding twoscore people a twenty-four hours for about two months).

In that location are ways to surpass this obstruction and those similar to information technology, similar manually removing people from your friends listing that don't follow you back or creating new sis accounts that back up your main 1. But these techniques are time consuming (remember, 40 follow actions per day maximum) and again can lead to temporary bans or account deletion. Information technology'south also worth noting that at the fourth dimension of writing this commodity, SoundCloud has removed (or hidden) your friends count from the UI, making this task comically hard without using API access. Luckily, SoundCloud isn't our simply pick.

Mixcloud

Mixcloud is a distribution platform similar to SoundCloud in many means, like how users share music and collaborate with each other. But it differs in several respects:

No friends limit. You tin can follow as many people equally you desire…for now at least.
Actions are express, similar following another person, but have much higher limits.
Mixcloud does not delete your account for exceeding limits similar friend asking. You get a sure number (around 200 follow activities) that resets daily (unremarkably at Midnight GMT since it's located in the U.k.).
Mixcloud allows you to share textile nether copyright without risk of prosecution, having ready a Spotify-ish organisation to pay royalties to artists. (SoundCloud is the polar opposite and will delete your uploads and sometimes account for suspicion of copyright violation even if you have permission.)
Mixcloud has a top 100 list for every popular genre on its site. Entries are ranked by popularity over a seven solar day menstruum. On twenty-four hours eight, you're off the listing.
Mixcloud has no limit on uploads. Every bit long equally information technology's an .mp3, become crazy. (SoundCloud does offer unlimited uploads at a price.)
If yous purchase a Mixcloud Pro business relationship, you get access to their analytics dashboard that'due south superior to what SoundCloud has to offer. Non only does information technology rails metrics and hits but also the amount of time users spent on the page (so you can know at what indicate in a song users closed it, for instance.).

Mixcloud is the new guy on the block and is still growing. As a result, they seem less picky almost restricting access to their platform and take a smaller user base compared to SoundCloud. It's too worth noting that because they are new, it'south easier to become an influential user on their network. International superstars that accept millions of followers on SoundCloud rarely have an account on Mixcloud, if at all. And when they practice, information technology's usually not the focus of their marketing efforts. This leads to interesting results and unique experiences, like hobbyist and professional person musicians sharing and competing for positions on their favorite top 100 list. Conversely, because they are new, sometimes their mobile app will act up and songs won't load on either information technology or a browser.

Final Considerations in Forming Our Strategy

When you're on Facebook, Twitter, or anything similar, you usually have to consider your audience and how they will receive your written message. You also have to consider how people volition translate the text in your profile, what yous've written on your wall, which somewhat acts as the context of your bulletin. With SoundCloud and Mixcloud, this isn't really taken into account because they use sounds, not words. Your written bulletin in most circumstances aren't considered by your audience because of how both systems downplay text, both online and in their mobile apps, much like YouTube. And both systems are global and not restricted by geography or fifty-fifty language like you'd exist on Facebook and Twitter. On SoundCloud and Mixcloud, anyone that can hear is your customer and your fan base may not even speak your linguistic communication. Because of this lack of information, users are more easily categorized by what they heed to and their influence. In that location's less noise. Their occupation, gender, and pretty much any characteristic y'all would normally consider aren't necessarily relevant, which is something we can utilize to our advantage.

The Plan

Then now that we're up to speed on how SoundCloud and Mixcloud work, permit's talk well-nigh how to make them work for y'all:

First, take time every day (around 20 minutes unless you lot want to automate things) to piece of work with your accounts (It needs to be the same fourth dimension every day when using SoundCloud, or you might get temporarily banned on accident by non waiting a full 24 hours before your next run). In that time, yous should target users of an account that has music similar to yours and add them at an advisable rate (on SoundCloud, 25ish a day and on Mixcloud, the daily limit). For example, if my music sounds like Metallica, I'd want to add every Metallica follower I could because if they like Metallica and my music sounds similar, they are probably going to like my music and follow me back. Take your fourth dimension adding these people. If you accomplish your 2000 friend limit on SoundCloud, remove 5 people a solar day that you think aren't interested or oasis't followed you back. If you hitting a temporary ban on SoundCloud, discover out when you can piece of work again and attempt to avoid the weather condition that made information technology happen.
When following users, add together those that seem to use the service often, like people with paid accounts (they accept an orangish symbol on SoundCloud and royal on Mixcloud) or more than 100 followers.
Upload as much as possible on SoundCloud. The larger your upload count, the more probable someone is to find your account even if they institute it through that 2 yr old demo track you lot thought no ane liked. You want people to discover you, so the more area (uploads), the better.
When you're get-go on Mixcloud, upload weekly so that you're songs are always competing on a peak 100 list (up to five at a time per upload, based on the 5 tag limit) and accept maximum exposure. If yous have to upload more once a week, try to utilize alternative tags (within reason) to maximize your coverage.
Tag uploads correctly and so people tin find them easily, and utilise as many as you can on SoundCloud. Unfortunately, Mixcloud has a 5 tag limit per upload, so cull wisely. This is especially of import considering your tags dictate peak 100 listing you lot'll be competing on.
If you're having trouble getting to the meridian of a Mixcloud top 100 list, effort to pick a more than specialized tag. For instance, employ alternative rock instead of stone.
Share your upload in groups on SoundCloud that share similar interests. They'll encounter the song and notice your business relationship.
In general, endeavor uploading your music every twenty-four hour period of the calendar week at various times throughout the day and figure out what gets the best results. For instance, I release my music on Thursday because I don't desire to compete with the vast amount of radio shows that debut new episodes on Fridays.
Read your account analytics. Both systems have it and information technology lets you find who is sharing your information on the web. I've found my music features in blog post and Twitter this mode.
Don't buy followers. They are commonly bots and aren't worth the investment.

So there information technology is. If you adhere to these steps on a regular ground, your SoundCloud and Mixcloud account volition grow similar clockwork. Next fourth dimension, we'll talk alternative SoundCloud / Mixcloud alternatives, like Wavo and Clowdy.

Good Hunting!