Anika Begay
Music streaming service SoundCloud has launched a merchandise marketplace called SoundCloud Store. The store will sell SoundCloud-themed merchandise, but will also serve as a service for artists to sell their own designs.
The store’s first iteration features designs from Wiz Khalifa, Denzel Curry, wolfacejoeyy, Bk The Rula, and Armani White. The company is also working with select artists from Next Pro, SoundCloud’s paid service for artists, to submit their own designs.
SoundCloud said that once an artist submits a design, the company will create mockups for them, produce goods for them, and list them on the SoundCloud store. The company will also handle fan engagement and social promotion for these products. The service currently takes no commission from artists, while passing on 100% of the profits from sales.
Social media platforms are eager to offer artists and creators ways to sell stuff and make money. Both Spotify and Amazon Music offer artists the ability to sell merch. While Spotify has tools that allow artists to host their catalog of merch on their pages, Amazon Music has partnered with Bandsintown for similar services.
On the other hand, both TikTok and YouTube have tools that allow creators to tag products in a video and earn money through an affiliate sales system.
SoundCloud has stated that the store will currently be open to fans in the United States, Canada, and Europe at launch.
Over the past year, the company has rolled out several tools to help artists increase fan engagement, including analytics to understand their listener base and the ability to reach fans directly.
