A Comparison of SoundCloud vs Apple Music for Streaming

Technology has changed the way we listen to music. In the past, people would listen to their favorite music through CD players and other gadgets. However, this has changed, and many now prefer to stream music. SoundCloud and Apple Music are two of the most popular platforms that have benefited from this streaming craze.

These two platforms allow users to stream thousands of songs at the click of a button. If you are searching for a streaming platform, you may wonder which option to choose. To help you answer this question, we will review and compare the two options so you can make the right choice.

What is Apple Music?

Apple Music is a streaming service that allows users to stream millions of songs, on-demand audios, and videos from a library to their devices. The service, which also has Apple Music 1 internet radio as a sister company, was launched in 2015 when Apple Inc. acquired Beats Electronics. Its goal was to become the one-stop platform for pop culture.

When it was launched, many people were happy with the extensive library of songs. However, it also received much criticism because most users felt it didn't have a user-friendly interface. Fortunately, the app was redesigned in iOS 10, and an updated and less cluttered interface was added.

Over time, Apple Music started receiving exemplary reviews. In less than six months, it had received over 10 million subscribers. It currently has over 93 million subscribers and a library of over 100 million songs.

Pros of Apple Music

Now, to get a better understanding of the two, here are the pros and cons:

• Up to six family members can share an Apple Music account.
• Offers a free Beats1 radio audio experience. The audio experience is available to everyone, even without a premium subscription.
• A music catalog of over 100 million tracks.
• A clean and user-friendly interface. This can be minimized to prevent it from taking up too much space on the display.
• Ability to engage with artists as they share their upcoming projects, music ideas, and more.
• A curator-created playlist rather than AI-created.
• The ability to hearten or dishearten a song allows the platform to understand your music preference.

Cons of Apple 

• A long and challenging signup process.
• The app tends to crash regularly.
• Requite ample storage space.
• Does not have a free plan.
• A few rare cases of Apple Music deleting user data have been reported.

What is SoundCloud?

SoundCloud is a music-sharing platform based in Berlin, Germany, although it was founded in Sweden. It allows creators to upload, share, and promote SoundCloud audio content. Founded by a group of artists in 2007, SoundCloud is a community of artists, DJs, bands, and listeners. It gives creators the tools and resources they need to grow their careers.

The platform boasts over 76 million users and 175 million listeners. Unlike Apple Music, an artist needs to monetize their work first on SoundCloud to get paid. On the other hand, the platform allows listeners to listen to millions of songs from any location free of charge. However, it also has a paid option with extra features such as high-quality downloads and offline listening.

Pros of SoundCloud

• A music recommendation based on your listening history.
• You can subscribe to your favorite artists and even choose to be notified when they upload a new track.
• Ability to listen to pre-releases. This is because many recording labels often release music for the first time on SoundCloud.
• It is free to use, and no sign-up is required to start listening to music.
• A SoundCloud subscription is only necessary for recording labels wanting to upload many tracks.
• The comment section lets you follow and connect with people sharing your music taste. You will be notified every time they upload a new song.

Cons of SoundCloud

• There is no advanced search feature.
• You will be bombarded with ads that will affect your music listening experience when you use the free package.
• Still suffer from regular bugs.

Apple Music vs. SoundCloud: Which is better?

To answer this question, let's first compare the features, pros, and cons of the two platforms.

Type of Content

One of the major differences between the two platforms is the type of content they offer. When it was created, Apple Music focused on audio content. However, with time, it started offering video content. On the other hand, SoundCloud only focuses on Audio music. Therefore, if you want to promote your music in audio and video format, Apple Music is a better option to help you do that. On the other hand, if you only need to promote your SoundCloud audio music, SoundCloud can provide an excellent platform to help you do that.

Music Quality and Size of Library

When comparing the two platforms, one key consideration is the music quality and the size of the music library. As noted earlier, Apple Music has over 100 million songs in its library.  

It delivers music in 256 kbps AAC. On the other hand, SoundCloud says it has over 250 million tracks from over 30 million artists from 193 countries and delivers high-quality music at 256 kbps. Therefore, while the two services tie in music quality, SoundCloud wins because of its bigger library.

Playlist Recommendations

With over 100 million tracks on both platforms, it's easy to get confused when deciding which tracks to add to your playlist. That’s why a playlist recommendation is an important consideration. Fortunately, both services offer recommendation features, which makes adding music to your playlist easier. But which of these two offers a better recommendation?

To answer this question, it's essential to understand how they recommend songs. Apple Music will recommend a playlist curated by experts instead of AI. On the other hand, SoundCloud will curate a playlist for you using AI based on your listening history. Therefore, Apple Music uses a method that will enhance your overall listening experience. Besides, it can dishearten a song you don't like so the platform can better understand your listening preferences.

However, we also like that SoundCloud has a feature that enables users to subscribe to their favorite artists, which isn't available on Apple Music. Overall, Apple Music's way of recommending music is a better option than SoundCloud.

Cost of Subscription

Each service offers different subscription models and terms and conditions. Apple Music offers its users a free three-month subscription. After that, if you want to continue enjoying its services, you can do so for $9.99 monthly.

On the other hand, SoundCloud has a fee package for its users. The catch is that this package comes with a lot of ads. If you want to listen to your favorite music without getting bombarded with ads, you can pay $4.99 monthly for the SoundCloud Go plan. This plan allows you to listen without ads and save the track for offline viewing.

The other plan is the Go+ version, which costs $9.99 per month and includes the benefits of the SoundGo plan plus other benefits. Some extra benefits you will receive on this plan include higher-quality audio and access to the platform's audio catalog.

Interactions and Networking

Another great feature of Apple Music we love is the ability to interact with artists. Listeners can directly engage with artists when they post about their latest releases, upcoming music, and ideas. On the other hand, as an artist-focused platform, SoundCloud allows listeners to post comments on the accounts of people with similar music tastes. With this feature, it's easier for artists to gain followers on SoundCloud than Apple Music.

Exclusive Features

Another area that sets these two apart is the exclusive features it offers. Apple Music suggests that it provides exclusive content regarding exclusive album releases, music documentaries, and videos on its platforms. Another great and unique feature that Apple Music offers is its availability on multiple devices and platforms. Apple Music will still work well on Android, Amazon Echo, iPhone, or iPad devices.

If you are in a family of six, you can share one Apple Music. On the other hand, Apple Music doesn't have family-sharing features, even though you can easily share your unique URL to social media sites. This feature can be accessed on mobile or desktop apps. When we compare the exclusive features of the two apps, it's clear that Apple Music is more advanced.

Apple Music vs. SoundCloud for artists: Which is better?

We have compared the features of the two platforms for listeners. If you are an artist trying to promote your music on Soundcloud or Apple Music, which of these platforms is likely to provide a better experience? Let’s compare the experience for artists, too.

Apple Music for Artists

One of Apple Music's benefits is its many great features for artists, such as trends, charts, and music ranking. These features make it easier for listeners to discover artists. Every time an artist's music is streamed, Apple Music pays artists an average of $0.1.

The Connect feature on Apple Music is big because it allows artists to discuss issues on their feeds. They can also use the feature to post links to promote their Apple Music. The main downside is that the brand is late in innovation.

SoundCloud for Artists

On the other hand, SoundCloud offers a free platform for artists and is now more of a music social media site. It's an excellent platform for sharing music and getting the word out about your music. While you will not become a star when you share your music on the platform, it will provide considerable exposure.

SoundCloud doesn't make any payment when your music is played. However, you can benefit from their ad-sharing revenue if invited to the Premier's top-tier program. To get invited, you need to go through their monetization program. However, the main disadvantage of this program is that it can take a long time to monetize, unlike Spotify or YouTube, where you are monetized immediately if you meet their requirements.

Another advantage of SoundCloud for artists is that it allows them to track key metrics. You can see data on who is listening to your music so that you can market it to them better. With SoundCloud, artists can engage with fans to get the fans' feedback. You can also tag music to rank on SEO. 

SoundCloud has four music tiers to choose from. However, you need to pay for some of these features. Finally, the repost feature of SoundCloud makes it a highly coveted platform. This feature allows it to be discovered on the platform. On the other hand, there are complaints that the platform is losing its appeal, with most of the artists requesting others to follow them in return for them following back.

How to Grow Your Followership on SoundCloud 

If you need to grow your followership on SoundCloud, here are tips on how to do that:

• Upload high-quality tracks. Quality is the critical factor that will determine the success of your music. To increase your SoundCloud following, ensure that you create professional-grade music that will enable you to stand out from the competition. 
• Optimize your profile. SoundCloud followers will visit your profile before they follow you. That's why you should optimize the profile to turn them into followers. A great profile should have all the essential details, explain to your followers what you do, and give them a reason to follow you. 
• Optimize your music for discoverability. The more your content is discovered, the better your chances of getting new followers. Ensure that you add the relevant tags for your music, such as the artist's name, the title of the track, the music genre, and the record label that produces similar content.
• Collaborate with other artists. Find artists with the same target audience and collaborate to get more exposure.
• Add your website to SoundCloud. You will look more credible as a musician if you have a website. A website can also serve as a hub where you keep all your music.
• Engage with other users. Another great way of gaining followers on SoundCloud is by engaging with your followers. Reach out to artists who might be interested in your content. Follow them, like their music, comment on their tracks, and build relationships with them.

How to Promote Your Tracks on Apple Music

Here are a few ways to promote your music on Apple Music and grow your followership:

• Claim your Apple Music for Artist profiles. One of the easiest ways of starting your music promotion is by claiming Apple Music for Artists. To do that, you need to go to the Request Artist Access. You should then copy your iTunes store artist link in the text box. Choose the name of the artist and complete the verification process.
• Use an embedded player. An embedded player provides listeners with a preview of the music anywhere on the internet, allowing them to listen to your music even when they aren't on SoundCloud. It can also be added to any website that accepts the web code.
• Post music consistently. The more music and albums you post on Apple Music, the better your chances of success on the platform are. This is because you will easily remain in people’s minds. However, as you focus on posting consistently, do not compromise on the quality of the music.
• Leverage the artist preview. The track preview tweet is an essential tool you can leverage to promote your Apple music track. This involves adding an X audio card with a preview of 30 seconds of the song with the cover art and a link to encourage users to listen to the music directly on X.
• Add links to the music. One of the best ways to promote music albums effectively to listeners is by sharing the link to the music. The link should open automatically on Apple Music or any digital device. You can then share the link through email or other social media marketing strategies.
• Design badges and icons. Apple badges are created in over 142 languages to enable users to listen to your music. Badges refer to branded images representing your music, while icons are the imagery of the product, including the color schemes and music notes. You can, therefore, use them to promote your Apple music as branded links, which can be shared on other marketing channels such as apps, socials, printed promotions, and more.
• Invite people to follow you. Ensure that you ask your friends and family members to support you. You can also sync your Apple Music with your social media accounts and add a link to your Apple Music account.

Final Thoughts

From the above comparison, it's clear that Apple Music and SoundCloud have unique features and benefits. SoundCloud is a better option if you need to listen to music free of charge but with ads. On the other hand, if you are a family of six and would like to share your package, Apple Music is a good choice. We recommend you also read our comparison of Apple Music vs. Spotify.