SoundCloud tests direct music sales for 200 creators

A fan browsing an artist’s SoundCloud profile can now find a purchase option without being sent to another music store. SoundCloud has launched a beta for direct music sales, initially limited to 200 Artist Pro creators in the US. Buyers receive the format supplied by the artist, such as MP3 or WAV files.

The practical change is the checkout route. Until now, artists using SoundCloud could link tracks to outside services such as Bandcamp and Beatport, sending fans elsewhere to complete a purchase. SoundCloud says it will take no commission on sales made through the new feature, leaving the proceeds with the artists.

That matters because the external market takes a share. Bandcamp takes between 10-15 percent for sales, while artists on Beatport receive roughly 50-65 percent of their sale price. SoundCloud says more than 250,000 artists have linked over 2.4 million tracks to external music platforms, and that it sends more than half a million users to outside services to buy music each year.

So, concretely, participating artists get a way to turn an existing listener relationship into a direct purchase without asking fans to change platforms. The immediate reach is small—the beta covers 200 US creators—but SoundCloud plans to expand access to all eligible creators later this fall.

The sales test follows SoundCloud’s All-in-One artists subscription, launched in November last year, which gives creators 100 percent of their distribution royalties. Together, the two moves position SoundCloud as more than a streaming and discovery service, although the direct-sales feature remains a beta rather than a broadly available storefront.