Getting Paid
How and when do I get paid on SoundCloud for Artists?
Next Pro and Next Plus 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 $5 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 $5 and we’re ready to pay you out:
- Go to the Earnings section of your SoundCloud for Artists account
- Click the Payouts option
- Click +Add Payout Method and select Bank Transfer or Paypal
- Enter your information as an individual, or as a business if you file taxes that way
- Select your payout method
- Once you’ve entered your payout method details, click to Submit a Tax Form
- Enter all required information and proceed through the prompts to complete your tax form
- 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 $5 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.