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 PayPal account that you link to your SC4A account. 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.
Currently we can only issue payments via PayPal. You can update your PayPal email in the Account Information section of your Settings in your SoundCloud for Artists account.
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 via support chat or email, and we would be happy to look into this for you!
Can we get paid with any other payment tool besides PayPal?
Currently we can only issue payments via PayPal. You can update your PayPal email in the Account Information section of your Settings in your SoundCloud for Artists account.
What is Split Pay?
Split Pay is a tool allows you to easily list collaborators on your tracks to give a percentage of the earnings to. 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.
If you’re typically the one being added as a Split Payee by your collaborator, please make sure your SoundCloud channel is connected to your SoundCloud for Artists account. If you don’t have a SoundCloud channel yet, you can create one at SoundCloud.com. Rest assured, any revenue your content generates from SC4A will continue to flow to your account via PayPal.
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.
Where can I find my tax documents?
All tax documents can either be gathered from PayPal directly, or you can download a W-8BEN on the IRS website here.