For over a decade now, Soundcloud has been the premier destination for musicians to upload, stream and share their music with legions of fans across the world. For music lovers, it is a great platform to discover new artists and underground music. On the lines of Spotify and YouTube, SoundCloud allows musicians to upload their music and share it with listeners. However, a spate of recent financial troubles have put SoundCloud’s existence in jeopardy. Luckily, there are some great SoundCloud alternative sites that boast similar features.
These sites like SoundCloud help new indie artists and bands directly accrue a fanbase, and share/sell music across different social media platforms without worrying about commission rates. Music lovers can also directly stay in touch with new bands, stream music from these unblocked music sites and get insights into the songwriting process of their favourite underground acts. Better still, some of these SoundCloud alternatives are completely free and don’t require a subscription plan!
10+ Best SoundCloud Alternative Sites 2024
1) BandCamp
Touted by many as a formidable SoundCloud competitor, BandCamp has an impressive roster spanning across indie musicians, producers, metal bands, beat makers and alternative rock artists.
Bandcamp provides members with their very own customizable micro-sites where they can upload songs for free and share music with fans who can also stream all their tracks for free.
In fact, listeners have a choice whether they want to buy full albums or individual tracks at a price set by them.
Furthermore, they can also donate to an artist or download free tracks or album upon joining the artist’s mailing list. However, BandCamp charges a 15% commission fee until sales reach a set threshold amount.
2) ReverbNation
ReverbNation has been in the game for a while, but unlike SoundCloud it focuses primarily on local upcoming indie bands and underground hip hop artists.
What makes Reverbnation a nifty Soundcloud alternative is that it connects budding artists with local fans and provides them a good foothold by establishing them in their local music scenes.
For music lovers who want to find out the latest up-and-coming bands in their vicinity, ReverbNation is a goldmine. Better still, it helps musicians grow by introducing them to music industry honchos, providing a fanbase, and promoting their music.
3) AudioMack
A through-and through platform for hip-hop and trap artists, Audiomack is one of the best sites like SoundCloud on the internet. It has also amassed a cult following amongst mixtape producers and DJs in contemporary times.
Akin to SoundCloud on many fronts including design ethos, AudioMack lets you share, repost, like/favourite and add tracks to playlists.
Not to mention, AudioMack is totally free and provides unlimited storage unlike SoundCloud that costs $180/year.
4) YungCloud
A relatively unknown SoundCloud alternative, YungCloud offers a gazillion audio tracks for music lovers who want to gorge on new music from indie artists from around the world.
However, YungCloud is marred with a ridiculously high number of bootlegs from free music download sites which could be off-putting for musicians who want to upload their tracks and monetize them.
All in all, while YungCloud is irresistibly lucrative for those who want to explore tons of new music, it comes off as passive on music piracy and definitely needs to tackle these issues and regain the trust of budding musicians worldwide.
5) Hearthis
With a smorgasbord of features, HearThis is one of the best sites like SoundCloud that includes feeds, and provides the option to like, comment and share music.
Not to mention, there is a snazzy feature called “Maps” that keeps you abreast of the local music scene.
HearThis also allows musicians to import their SoundCloud profile and migrate entire discography into the platform so that they don’t have to re-upload tracks all over again. Eerily similar to SoundCloud, HearThis also lets users participate in groups, and sort their feed by genre, or overall length of the track.
6) MixCloud
Quite an offbeat SoundCloud alternative, MixCloud is primarily aimed at podcasters, DJs and talk show hosts rather than solo vocalists, bands or musicians.
Furthermore, Mixcloud does not establish a connection between artists and listeners, although you can discover new content by looking up an artist’s name using the inbuilt search option.
Also, MixCloud only lets you upload one track at a time instead of entire albums. All together, it is a worthwhile option if you want to listen to podcasts on diverse topics but not so enticing if you are discovering new music.
7) Orfium
Perhaps the fastest growing online platform for musicians, Orfium lets you directly upload your tracks as well as promote, sell, license and even monetize your music with copyrights.
Hence, if your songs are played on YouTube, Facebook you will be entitled to collect royalties. Although you will have to pay a commission to Orfium out of your revenue.
That being said, Orifium is a great SoundCloud alternative which also sports a “Discovery” feature useful for finding new artists, genres or play music simply based on your mood swings.
8) Jamendo
Launched way back in 2005, Jamendo is an online free music distribution platform that hosts songs under Creative Commons licenses.
Ardent music buffs can come across abundant free music from a plethora of genres in this site. Jamendo also has an app variant which is touted as one of the best free music download apps for iPhone users.
Furthermore, Jamendo hooks up newbie musicians with fans as anyone can upload their tracks for the world to marvel at. All together, Jamendo is a great SoundCloud alternative which brings together a global community of devout indie music lovers.
9) NoiseTrade
Nashville, TN-based streaming service, NoiseTrade sports all the bells and whistles and a decent UI wherein independent musicians can upload their songs/albums and share their music with fans for free.
Launched in 2008, NoiseTrade has also rolled out a new feature for authors to share their literary works, and audiobooks with avid readers for free without having to worry about digital rights management.
Albeit the platform is renowned for kickstarting the careers of up-and coming independent solo artists and bands.
10) SoundClick
Boosted by a robust and helpful community forum, SoundClick is a haven for both budding musicians and fans who want to discover new underground music.
Better still, Soundclick allows artists and producers to directly sell their music. Over the recent years, it has become a haven for beatmakers to sell beats to rappers, trap artists, et al.
All together, SoundClick is a social hub for producers, beat makers and independent solo artists who want to share their music online.
And…that’s a wrap! Did you like our list of the best SoundCloud alternative sites of 2024? Sound off in the comments.
