SoundCloud’s new ‘Buzzing’ playlists bring a buzz to artists getting started to boost their presence in their genres.

Getting heard is one of the most important things for artists and it’s also one of the hardest. SoundCloud are giving their artists a boost to get discovered and find the audiences who are waiting to hear them with new playlists.

‘Buzzing’ playlists are SoundCloud’s new destination for genre-specific collections of the latest in up and coming music. Artists who are getting engagement will be featured for the traction they’re getting to give them a chance at enhanced exposure. This means the playlists are powered by fans.

It allows new uploads to reach more ears and expand beyond the niche for a chance at expanding artists’ audiences. Artists who are subscribed to Next Pro will be given the chance to feature in one of the Buzzing’s starter pack of genres: Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Electronic.

SoundCloud writes: “For Next Pro artists, Buzzing playlists are a chance for Creators to show off their best new music and find future fans. For listeners, it’s a way to discover the tracks and artists other fans are connecting with in their go-to music scenes. For A&Rs and industry professionals, it’s a cheat-sheet for who to keep an eye on.”

SoundCloud revealed that over 45 million tracks across music streaming services had 0 plays last year. To give more artists a chance to break out of the unknown, SoundCloud have introduced a new algorithm that helps Next Pro subscribers get heard by an initial audience of listeners. This gives their song a chance at getting picked up and gaining traction. Their new Buzzing playlists will play into this algorithm by pushing the tracks that get engaged with well to an even wider audience.

This is how SoundCloud’s Buzzing playlists work:

  1. SoundCloud Next Pro artists upload a fresh track and opt-in to have it analysed by First Fans, our recommendation algorithm. 
  2. First Fans then analyses these uploads and recommends them to up to 100 listeners most likely to love it, based on their past listening behaviour. 
  3. From there, top tracks are recommended to even more listeners, now up to 1000.
  4. The highest performing tracks of those recommended – the ones that listeners engage with the most (likes, comments, reposts, replays and playlist adds) earn a spot on a coveted, fan-powered, Buzzing playlist. 

You can listen to this week’s Buzzing Playlists here.

Artists can monetise their tracks on SoundCloud and upgrade their account for unlimited uploads at RouteNote. Earn money from your plays whilst uploading as many tracks as you like for free at www.routenote.com.