How SoundCloud Expands Its Reach With Domain Name Integrations

When attempting to build an online presence, standing out from the crowd is essential. This is especially true for musicians who rely on their digital identity to break into the industry, connect with new listeners, and attract a fanbase. 

No one understands this better than the team at SoundCloud, which has a well-established reputation as a place for independent artists to share their music and build a digital identity from the ground up. 

But the digital landscape has completely transformed since SoundCloud first launched in 2007.¹ Its users are no longer simply trying to gain exposure and hook individual fans with a great piece of music—independent musicians are now looking for an all-in-one platform that gives them the tools to create a full-on brand. To support this goal, the SoundCloud team has partnered with Squarespace to offer artists free, music-related domain names for their first year. So, when an artist sets up their site on SquareSpace, they can enjoy the perk of a one-year-free discounted domain, provided by Identity Digital. 

This new promotion has helped SoundCloud establish itself as the premier end-to-end solution for modern artists. By providing a way for customers to claim their digital identity and create a professional website to act as a centralized hub for their music, SoundCloud now offers a better consumer experience that drives more conversions to its paid plan.

Enhancing Customer Experience with Seamless Innovation

In recent years, platform-based businesses have proven to be some of the most lucrative—however, they’re also some of the most risky.² With up to 88% of consumers indicating that they’re less likely to return to a site or platform that provides a poor customer experience, successful platforms must focus on providing an intuitive, end-to-end experience.³ 

This is exactly what SoundCloud has achieved by providing one-year-free, entertainment-themed domain names to artists on the Squarespace platform. 

Tracy Chan, the SVP of Creator at SoundCloud, recognizes the importance of having a centralized hub where artists can oversee all aspects of their digital presence—“between managing your online presence, creating assets for social media, and building out a community, there’s a lot artists have to handle.”⁴ 

By enabling customers to sign up for a free entertainment-themed domain name through its partnership with Squarespace, SoundCloud has become a convenient one-stop shop for musicians to build their brands. 

Instead of simply posting and sharing their music as they do on other platforms, artists can now use SoundCloud as a way to manage a full suite of digital assets for their brand:

• Customers have the opportunity to claim entertainment-themed, descriptive domains, such as .band, .events, and .live, and build out their custom sites through Squarespace, turning the massive SoundCloud platform into a bespoke experience for each customer. 

• Customers can connect a new domain name directly to their new website, allowing for more control over their digital identities while enjoying a seamless SoundCloud experience.

Bringing Value to an Untapped Audience

Up-and-coming artists are constantly looking for platforms and tools to help them develop and promote their digital identity. By offering added value with a free domain name, SoundCloud gives new customers a reason to choose its platform over competitors. The integrated domain name provides independent musicians with a low barrier of entry to create their own website—which is increasingly important for establishing their brand and carving out their niche.

Musicians are also faced with a unique challenge when it comes to their branding—their artist name. While businesses in other industries can use keywords to incorporate their function into their branding, artist pseudonyms rarely incorporate direct music references. Lady Gaga and Tame Impala may be highly recognizable artists now, but their names don’t directly indicate what they do as musicians. 

By offering its customers free access to top-level domains like .rocks or .tours, SoundCloud helps new musicians establish themselves as a part of the industry. Additionally, by helping customers get started with a free, relevant domain name, SoundCloud has gained access to a new audience of rising artists seeking to solidify their place in the online music world. Kinjil Mathur, the CMO of SquareSpace, said, “[We’re] giving artists a way to stand out and succeed by establishing their digital presence, building a beautiful website, and connecting with audiences across multiple touchpoints.”⁵

Supporting Conversions for Paid Plans

To support its indie fanbase, SoundCloud offers a free plan that musicians can use to post their music and start building a fanbase. But customers can truly unlock all the services they need to thrive by upgrading to the paid Next Pro plan. 

Because the free domain is only available to Next Pro customers, it acts as a compelling value-added feature for artists serious about promoting their music and image.⁶ Securing a quality domain name and launching a new site can be daunting, so building that process into the SoundCloud experience is a major incentive for free customers to convert to a paid plan. 

By giving artists a simple avenue to create their website and establish themselves as serious musicians, SoundCloud encourages conversions to the Next Pro plan and positions itself as a trusted resource for new musicians. 

Exceeding Customer Expectations with Identity Digital

By offering customers a curated list of themed domain names, SoundCloud adds value perfectly aligned with its customer base’s needs and goals. And in fact, this simple integration has helped turn SoundCloud’s services into a core part of its customers’ digital identities, ultimately cementing its place as an essential element of each customer’s brand.

And you can do the same for your brand.

By providing Identity Digital domain names on your platform, you can complement your existing offerings, increase product stickiness, and establish your business as a full-service, turnkey solution for your customers. 

If you’re ready to enhance your platform with meaningful domain services, contact Identity Digital to learn more.

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Sources:

¹ SoundCloud. What is SoundCloud? https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003570488-What-is-SoundCloud

² Harvard Business Review. A Study of More Than 250 Platforms Reveals Why Most Fail. https://hbr.org/2019/05/a-study-of-more-than-250-platforms-reveals-why-most-fail‍

³ Impact. 30 Eye-Opening User Experience Stats [Infographic]. https://www.impactplus.com/blog/user-experience-stats-infographic‍

⁴ SoundCloud Newsroom. SoundCloud Partners with Squarespace, Adobe, Discord, and Rap Plug to Expand Member Benefits for Next and Next Pro Artists. https://press.soundcloud.com/227848-soundcloud-partners-with-squarespace-adobe-discord-and-rap-plug-to-expand-member-benefits-for-next-and-next-pro-artists‍

⁵ Soundcloud. Special offers and discounts for SoundCloud for Artists. https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051083754-Special-offers-and-discounts-for-SoundCloud-Next-users