SoundCloud monetization is not automatic like on other platforms like YouTube or Spotify. To monetize a song on SoundCloud requires manual action for every track.
In the future, monetization on SoundCloud will hopefully be more automatic. However, due to issues and bugs on SoundCloud’s platform, automatication monetization is not currently available or reliable. Proton is working closely with their team to bring automatic monetization in the future.
This article will help you setup manual monetization until automatic monetization is working better. Please note that SoundCloud doesn’t generate much money - so you may prefer to wait until automatic monetization is available.
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Good News: Upgrading your label's SoundCloud for monetization with Proton will unlock unlimited uploads for your channel, without needing a paid Pro account!
If you want other premium features like Spotlight, you'd still need a paid Pro account. The Proton upgrade is only for free unlimited uploads.
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How can I get started?
If you’ve never monetized a track before on SoundCloud through Proton, then the 1st step is to enable monetization on your label’s SoundCloud profile.
Inside Proton SoundSystem, load your label and click the “Details & Settings” tab. Near the top, look for the area to connect your SoundCloud account.
If your label’s SoundCloud profile is NOT already connected, connect it now.
Note: Make sure to connect your label's profile, NOT your artist/DJ profile.
After connecting your label's SoundCloud profile, the Proton team will be in touch within 2-3 business days to setup monetization on your profile.
After the Proton team has setup your profile for monetization, you’ll see the “Monetization” checkbox checked ON in the “Details & Settings” area. If you have issues with this step, please contact us for help.
My profile is connected & monetization is on! Now what?
After Proton enables monetization on your SoundCloud account, look for the “Monetization” tab to appear when you edit or upload any of your SoundCloud tracks.
If you don’t see the monetization tab appearing yet on SoundCloud, please wait 1 week from the day Proton helped you enable monetization, as it may take SoundCloud’s team awhile to process our request. If it's been a week and you still don’t see the monetization tab appearing when you edit or upload a track on SoundCloud, please contact us.
I can see the monetization tab! Now what?
Great! This means you can start monetizing on SoundCloud. Continue reading this guide to learn what the next steps are...
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What can I monetize on SoundCloud?
The only songs you can monetize on SoundCloud through Proton are songs you’ve officially released on your label. This means you CANNOT monetize DJ Mixes or unsigned tracks that you have not officially released on your label.
OK, how do I monetize an official track I’ve released through Proton?
Enabling monetization on a track requires 2 key steps on your SoundCloud track:
Entering specific metadata in the “Metadata" tab.
Enabling Monetization in the “Monetization” tab.
You can start monetizing a song as long as you have an official ISRC for your track, which gets assigned as soon as you schedule the release on Proton.
What is the metadata I need to enter?
To manually monetize an upload on SoundCloud, you’ll need enter 3 pieces of metadata in the "Metadata" tab of your SoundCloud upload:
ISRC Code - Paste the ISRC code in from SoundSystem, details below!
Publisher - Enter “Proton LLC” as the publisher to make sure royalties flow correctly to you and your artists.
Composer (Optional) - Enter the names of your artists here.
This metadata should be added in the METADATA tab on your SoundCloud upload:
Where do I find the ISRC code for my tracks?
ISRC codes become available immediately after scheduling your release on Proton. Find the ISRC code by loading the track in SoundSystem and going to the “Details & Settings” tab, like this:
Finally, enable monetization and click “Monetization” in the “Monetize” tab:
The Monetization tab has various controls and configurations, but you only need to click “Monetization” under “Enable Monetization”.
You’ll know your sound is being monetized when you see the monetization icon and “This track is monetizable” status message appear:
It may take SoundCloud up to 48 hours to enable monetization on your track. If you don’t see the monetization status appear after 3 days, please let us know.