SoundCloud has announced the rollout of its monetization platform for artists, SoundCloud Premier. This official launch of the program comes nearly four years after the offering launched in beta and remained an invite-only service during that time. Now, monetization will be available for a portion of its 20 million boasted creators, specifically, those who are 18 and older, who subscribe to SoundCloud Pro or Pro+, get at least 5000 streams per month and publish original music with no copyright strikes against them.
The official announcement from SoundCloud boasts some generalities, including "fast payout," "instant availability," and payment rates that "meets or beats any other streaming service." Paired with an equally vague video, it's still unclear as to how this rollout will look for artists in the long run.
At the forefront of this announcement are artists who have SoundCloud to thank for their successful careers, artists like Chance the Rapper, Kali Uchis, Lil Uzi Vert, $UICIDEBOY$, Alina Baraz, Towkio, Louis the Child, Bryson Tiller, blackbear, MadeinTYO and Metro Boomin.
