Level up your music: SoundCloud ‘Ascending’ elevates artists
Image Credit: Variety
SoundCloud has officially its own global artist development program – Ascending. Its new program is designed to promote and nurture emerging talent, SoundCloud’s new platform is for up-and-coming artists on the verge of a breakthrough by providing them with personalized promotional support.
SoundCloud’s new initiative, which it’s been testing since early 2023, selects one artist each month for a focused promotional campaign. This includes prominent exposure through billboards in major cities such as New York, London, and Los Angeles, curated playlists, social media promotion, and on-platform features.
The goal is to increase the artist’s visibility and engagement at a critical point in their career. Ascending’s launch follows a successful pilot phase that helped elevate artists like Kenya Grace, Odetari, and Teezo Touchdown.
September’s featured artist is Laila!, a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, and producer who has been on a rapid ascent since being discovered by SoundCloud’s A&R team.
Her latest single, Not My Problem, has already amassed over 44 million streams across all platforms, and her global streaming numbers have surged by 104% over the last 90 days.
“I’m excited to be a part of Ascending’s inaugural program,” Laila! said. Her debut album, Gap Year, was released earlier this month.
How to get involved with SoundCloud;’s ascending program
SoundCloud’s Ascending program provides a tailored, month-long promotional support package for emerging artists with strategic marketing efforts to enhance an artist’s reach and brand visibility.
To qualify for the program, artists must first be Next Pro subscribers and show organic growth on SoundCloud.
The program aims to accelerate that growth at the “right moment”, giving artists the momentum they need before entering the mainstream.
According to SoundCloud, artists who participated in the pilot saw their streams nearly double during their month in the program, with a 60% increase in followers on average.
SoundCloud describes Ascending as an extension of its commitment to helping artists not only get heard but get paid.
