SoundCloud Celebrates the Raw Talent and Creativity of Its Artists in Its First Ad Campaign

SoundCloud has launched its very first advertising campaign that’s aimed at showcasing some of the wonderfully talented creators that use the platform and celebrating how SoundCloud helped them get their start.

“SoundCloud is a totally unique ecosystem in that we are really the largest open audio platform in the world and we built that by thinking of the creator first, but it also gives us a unique ecosystem where we have over 175 million tracks. We are one of the top audio streaming experiences in the world because we are built by creators,” Kerry Trainor, CEO of SoundCloud, said.

The “First on SoundCloud” campaign will roll out over the course of the next three months and will feature 10 different artists who all used the platform to launch their careers. SoundCloud chose to highlight 10 creators because it represents the 10 million creators that people listen to on SoundCloud each month.

“The idea for the campaign comes from the core of the SoundCloud mission, which is to empower creators and give them the tools they need to reach an audience and inspire fans and ultimately build their career directly on the SoundCloud platform,” Trainor said. “One of the most inspiring things to us, in addition to our users, is seeing those stories emerge.”

The brand chose Kehlani, Galimatias, Taylor Bennett, Lorine Chia, Melo Makes Music, Party Pupils, Jay Prince, Cathedrals, StarRo and Witt Lowry. Each of the 10 artists were selected because they all have unique “first on SoundCloud” stories, according to Trainor.

Chicago-based artist (and younger brother of Chance the Rapper) Taylor Bennett stars in a 60-second spot for the brand. He uploaded his first tracks on SoundCloud at the age of 14, and in the span of three years released two mix tapes, an EP and Broad Shoulders, his debut album. In the 60-second spot, viewers get a taste of Bennett’s sound and learn a bit more about the artist, where he comes from and what inspires him.

Over the next three months, SoundCloud will continue rolling out videos featuring the 10 different artists, similar to Bennett’s spot. Those videos, along with some imagery as well, will roll out across SoundCloud apps, playlists and newsletters. They will also show up on social and in some out of home advertising. SoundCloud worked with Mass Appeal to produce the campaign.

Outside of the spot, released today, SoundCloud is continuing to promote new artists that hope to be discovered on the platform with the “First On SoundCloud” playlist. Any artist that uploads a track and uses the hashtag #SCFIRST will be considered for a spot on the playlist. SoundCloud also has a series of digital and banner ads featuring some of the other artists in the campaign.

“An important part of SoundCloud and a reason we are so excited about celebrating ‘First on SoundCloud’ is because we are the first place that creators come and that first place that listeners come to discover, but it’s all about what artists go on to do, whether they go on to sign at a label or be nominated for a Grammy, for us it’s all about that journey and growth. We want to be here at the beginning and be here for them first,” Trainor added.

Katie Richards

@ktjrichards

Katie Richards is a staff writer for Adweek.