We will now require Two-Factor Authentication be enabled on your account in order to receive SoundCloud for Artists payouts or make changes to your payout method. Here’s a link to the steps you can take to enable 2FA.

How and when do I get paid on SoundCloud for Artists? 

Next Pro subscribers will be paid under the Fan-powered royalties model. 

You will receive your payments via the payment method you’ve selected in your SoundCloud for Artists dashboard.  Your balance is updated at the end of each month and payments auto-deposit once your earnings meet or exceed $25 US.  Additionally we are net 60, so payments are two months delayed.  This is because it takes music platforms 30-45 days usually to pay us on a given period's earnings and then a bit of time for us to turn those royalties around to our partners. 

For further details about your earnings, please go to your SoundCloud for Artists Dashboard and under the tab "Earnings" you'll be able to see all the generated royalties. 

You can also update your payout method and other payout information in the “Payouts” tab within Earnings.

What do I need to do to get paid?

Once you’ve monetized your music directly on SoundCloud or have distributed a release through SoundCloud for Artists, you will start generating earnings based on streams. To get set up once your earnings exceed $25 and we’re ready to pay you out:

1. Go to the Earnings section of your SoundCloud for Artists account
2. Click the Payouts option
3. Click +Add Payout Method and select Bank Transfer or Paypal
4. Enter your information as an individual, or as a business if you file taxes that way
5. Select your payout method
6. Once you’ve entered your payout method details, click to Submit a Tax Form
7. Enter all required information and proceed through the prompts to complete your tax form
8. Choose whether you’d like to receive your end of year tax form via E-Delivery or Postal Mail

You can return to this at any time if you need to edit your tax form or update your payout method.

Why didn’t I receive a payment? 

The most common reasons for not receiving a payment are 1) you did not complete your tax form, 2) you did not receive enough royalties to hit the $25 USD threshold needed to be paid out, or 3) a payment was sent to an email address not associated with a PayPal account.  However, if you already ruled out all of these potential reasons, please reach out to our team, and we would be happy to look into this for you!

Can we get paid with any other payment tool besides PayPal?

Yes! We now allow you to choose PayPal or Bank Transfer when setting up your payout information. Go to the Payouts tab within Earnings and you’ll see the opportunity to select, or change, your payout method.

What is Split Pay? 

Split Pay is a tool that allows you to easily list collaborators on your tracks to give a percentage of the earnings. You enter the splits, and we take care of the rest.

Splits can be added during the distribution process before the release is approved, or after approval in the Split Pay tab!

You can now add collaborators you’d like to split earnings with by entering their SoundCloud profile URL or profile permalink. This ensures that the relevant royalties will be funneled to the right place and that your collaborators won’t end up with multiple SC4A accounts to manage. 

What is withholding tax / why am I being taxed? 

We implemented a tax withholding to stay compliant with earnings regulations set here in the US. The money we send to clients is recognized by the US government as income, therefore a certain amount must be withheld so we may pay them on the amounts sent abroad. Here is the official resource https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p515.pdf. We recommend consulting a tax professional for any additional advice.

Artificial Streaming and How It Can Impact You

SoundCloud and Spotify are cracking down on anyone who may be attempting to game the system with artificial or fraudulent streaming. An artificial stream is a stream that doesn’t reflect genuine user listening intent, including any instance of trying to manipulate SoundCloud or Spotify by using automated processes. For example, boosted play counts through automated or other invalid means like digital bots, scripts, “click farms,” payment for placement on playlists, etc.

We want to ensure that artists who use our platforms to distribute or monetize their content are paid for streams from their fans as well as help you avoid penalties associated with artificial or fraudulent streaming.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You cannot buy your way onto a SoundCloud, Spotify, or any other playlist. Any services which promise otherwise should be treated with caution.
• You have likely seen advertisements for services promising playlist placements or a specific number of streams in exchange for compensation. Using these services violates our terms of service and policies as well as those of other music streaming platforms. Make sure to do your research before working with any music promotion service.
• Streaming platforms do everything they can to ensure they are only paying out for legitimate streams. If we or one of these streaming platforms finds that you, or any service you’ve worked with, may have generated plays in an artificial or fraudulent manner, we and the streaming platform may choose to remove your entire catalog. Don’t risk it!
• Spotify is now charging SoundCloud for Artists, as well as other distributors, a fee for each track that it detects has received streams through artificial or fraudulent means. While SoundCloud for Artists aims to ensure these fees do not affect non-violating artists and labels, any of your tracks that incur a fee for artificial or fraudulent streaming will be your responsibility. As such, these tracks will likely be taken down and these fees may reduce your payouts.

Should you have any questions, Spotify has provided additional resources (attached below) about what artificial streaming is and what the consequences are when they detect it. You can also reach our support team here for any additional questions.

Spotify for Artists | All you need to know about artificial streaming

What Is Artificial Streaming? The Latest Episode of The Game Plan Explains
Artificial streaming and paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams