How to Select the Best Hashtags for Soundcloud Music?
Hashtags are crucial for navigating SoundCloud, a platform that offers unique benefits for artists. They assist listeners in discovering songs that align with their interests, while also aiding artists in boosting visibility and driving higher engagement. With 30 million artists from 193 countries delivering over 250 million songs, SoundCloud, despite being less popular than Spotify and Apple Music, is a recognized launchpad for emerging talent.
SoundCloud is a niche-focused platform that contains tools that help artists involved in direct engagement. Moreover, a subscription to SoundCloud Next Pro allows for better promotion and provides access to a solid number of features.
To enhance visibility and navigate your songs to your target audience, you should use hashtags. However, throwing all the available tags under one post is not an option. You should choose wisely and rely on tags that match audience preferences. In this article, we will tell more about correct hashtag usage on SoundCloud. You will discover:
- How to choose hashtags for songs?
- How many hashtags should be in the description?
- How the hashtags help musicians increase exposure?
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How to add hashtags on SoundCloud?
Notice that SoundCloud hashtags differ from those you have on Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms. Below, we what tags should you post with your tracks and how it will help you to get on top.
|
Category |
Hashtag |
Description |
|
General Music |
#NewMusic |
Promotion of new music releases and attraction of new listeners. |
|
Genre-Specific |
#HipHop2024 |
Popular among hip-hop artists to reach fans of the genre. |
|
#EDM |
For electronic dance music tracks, helping listeners find the latest in electronic genres. |
|
|
#Pop |
A popular hashtag for pop music, widely used for discovering mainstream music. |
|
|
Mood-Based |
#ChillVibes |
Tracks that suit relaxing or mellow moods, are great for acoustic or lo-fi music. |
|
#PartyMusic |
Used for upbeat, danceable tracks, ideal for party playlists. |
|
|
Promotion & Growth |
#SoundCloudRap |
A growing tag for upcoming rap artists, useful for gaining exposure in the rap scene. |
|
#UndergroundHipHop |
Artists who want to promote their music in the underground hip-hop scene can use this hashtag. |
|
|
Niche Audiences |
#IndieArtist |
For independent musicians to connect with a niche audience who seek unsigned or indie tracks. |
|
#LoFiBeats |
For tracks falling under the lo-fi beats category, often sought after for study or work sessions. |
|
|
Collaboration & Remix |
#RemixChallenge |
Used to promote remix competitions or encourage artists to remix certain tracks. |
|
#Collab |
For artists seeking collaboration opportunities with other musicians and producers. |
This table highlights the most popular hashtags among musicians who publish music on SoundCloud.
Why Are Hashtags So Important on Soundcloud?
Hashtags are basically the keywords that help people navigate through the vast music library. Hashtags are usually associated with genres, artists, moods, common topics, etc. For example, when you want to find some dancing songs, you should use hashtags #dance #dancing, and so on. Usually, a single tag is no longer than 20 symbols. If it describes some genre (for example, Drum and Bass), you can use the full version of the tag (#DrumandBass) and a short one (#DnB). Genre tags are the most popular on the platform because it’s the first option to mark your music.
How Many Hashtags Should Be in the Soundcloud Track Description?
Those who just arrived on SoundCloud may not know how many hashtags to use. The first thing that comes to mind is to use as many tags as possible. Still, this approach won’t give the desired effect. Instead, focus on adding specific and thematic tags that match user preferences. Using around three to five tags per song is a normal count.
Do Hashtags Affect the Soundcloud Algorithm?
The SoundCloud algorithm is based on the DiscoRank algorithm, which relies on Explore pages and search engines. This engine's main mechanic is to provide users with content that matches their requests. The SoundCloud algorithm is close to Google, which means that the more precise your search request is, the more chances you have to find the song you were looking for.
What does it mean for musicians? It means you should select the most relevant and the most common hashtags for your songs. Still, lots of creators fail at this point because they look only for trending tags. They mark the disco track with the hip-hop tag only because hip hop music is in trend this day. The platform algorithm reacts by putting the track lower in rank, which minimizes your chances of getting high engagement.
When uploading your music, adding the right tags is as important as adding the right genre. Once you do it correctly, the algorithm will place your track high in the overall ranking.
Music promotion is a long game, and if you want to achieve serious milestones, you should be ready to invest. Why is this important in the context of using SoundCloud hashtags? When you buy organic SoundCloud push, you get a complex promotion package with organic likes, plays, reposts, comments, and reposts. Your content will move to a higher spot in the ranking, which will increase visibility. If you select the right tags, your music will stand among the most popular songs in the genre or among trending categories.
Trending songs appear in personalized playlists for every user. If your music gets enough plays, likes, and reposts, it can also be among trending songs.
What Hashtags Should Be Used on Soundcloud?
Most importantly, the hashtags for your songs should relate to two main categories: mood and genre. When you upload a track on the platform, you select the genre from the list. If your music doesn’t belong to the list of genres, you can add your own. Still, if you publish music in one of the common genres, we recommend you select one from the genre.
Once you select a genre, add a similar tag to the description. After that, add a mood tag or one that describes its vibe. It can be:
- #Dark
- #Night
- #Dancehall
As you can see, the main hashtag is on the song page while other descriptive tags are in the description.
You can look at the competitors to understand what hashtags you may need for SoundCloud promotion. Musicians who already have experience publishing on this platform understand what tags for SoundCloud should be used for description.
Still, there are exceptions. For example, the tag #soul should be used only for R&B and soul songs. Also, the tag #jazz should be used only for jazz, as should the #classicmusic tag. Anyway, if you don’t feel comfortable about the tags you want to use, look at other musicians. Later, it will help you optimize your songs for playlist publishing or potential collaborations.
How to Find the Best Hashtags for Your Music on Soundcloud?
Related hashtags for every song always have strong associations. Mood, time of the day, activity, time of the year, and other associations. To understand what tags will be the most effective for you on SoundCloud, ask yourself:
- What comes to mind when you play this song?
- What do you want to do when listening to this track?
- Do you feel energetic or sleepy when you hear this song?
Find a perfect frame of mind for the music and search for top hashtags related to them. Trending hashtags for SoundCloud make a difference not only on the platform but also on social media when you promote the music. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have the condition of using the right hashtags, as you present content to a larger audience and make them listen to your music on the platform.
Master Hashtag Usage for Music Description
Beginners often underestimate hashtag usage for music descriptions, and this is a huge mistake. Since you want to find the targeted audience and make people hear your music, you need to pay attention to how you describe your songs, especially at the beginning. Later, when you become noticeable and get better visibility, you can place only one tag on your tracks.
Are hashtags effective on SoundCloud?
What hashtags can help you generate plays and likes on SoundCloud?
How to make a SoundCloud profile noticeable?
How can you go viral on SoundCloud?
Rhythm Junkie
This article is spot on! I’ve seen a noticeable difference in my track engagement after optimizing my hashtags based on mood and genre. SoundCloud’s algorithm definitely seems to favor precise tagging. Highly recommend these strategies to fellow musicians!
This article is spot on! I’ve seen a noticeable difference in my track engagement after optimizing my hashtags based on mood and genre. SoundCloud’s algorithm definitely seems to favor precise tagging. Highly recommend these strategies to fellow musicians!
Calvin MCapp
This article clarified so much about SoundCloud’s tagging system. I used to think more tags meant more visibility, but now I realize quality over quantity is key. The advice on mood and genre tags is particularly useful. Kudos for the clear and practical advice!
This article clarified so much about SoundCloud’s tagging system. I used to think more tags meant more visibility, but now I realize quality over quantity is key. The advice on mood and genre tags is particularly useful. Kudos for the clear and practical advice!