SoundCloud is one of the largest music and audio distribution platforms. It helps people discover new songs, artists, podcasts, and demos of their favorite creators.
In this article, we have collected the most intriguing SoundCloud statistics.
Read on to find out more about the platform’s history, user base, music selection, and much more.
Sumptuous SoundCloud Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- In 2017, 320 million listeners worldwide were active on SoundCloud.
- In November 2021, Soundcloud had 76 million registered users.
- The platform boasts 175 million global monthly listeners.
- Every minute, users upload 12 hours of music on the platform.
- There were 200 million tracks on SoundCloud in 2020.
- Its revenue in 2020 was over $200 million.
- In October 2018, around 25% of the US mobile population was using SoundCloud.
SoundCloud Demographics
As the key SoundCloud stats above reveal, the platform has a huge user base.
Let’s see more details about it.
1. In 2019, 76 million people used SoundCloud.
(Source: Business of Apps)
Note that this is the number of SoundCloud users with an account. There are others who access the platform without registering.
That said, the number had decreased since 2015 when SoundCloud boasted 150 million registered users!
2. SoundCloud had 175 million monthly users in 2017.
(Source: Business of Apps)
The company hasn’t updated this number since then. Will SoundCloud release info about its users in 2022?
We don’t know.
What we do know is that in 2014, SoundCloud had 275 million monthly listeners. In 2017, the user count had already started decreasing.
With the rising popularity of Spotify, Pandora, and other similar platforms, the decrease might be even larger.
3. SoundCloud has users in 190 countries.
(Source: Expanded Ramblings)
There are 195 countries in the world, and SoundCloud is available in 190 of them!
4. The largest group of users is aged 18-35.
(Source: The Small Business Blog)
Data shows that 35% of the 2018 SoundCloud listeners were in the 18-35 age group.
As with some of the previous stats, however, this is the latest data available.
5. More than half of the SoundCloud users are male.
(Source: SoundMaximum)
Data from 2020 shows that 37% of the platform’s listeners were women.
Note that these are the numbers for the US user base only.
SoundCloud Valuation
SoundCloud’s user count may have dropped, but the company’s value keeps growing.
6. In December 2021, SoundCloud had over 143 million views.
(Source: SimilarWeb)
The platform reported a 3.85% growth from November 2021.
The average visit duration was four minutes 56 seconds. Users viewed an average of 3.98 pages per visit.
7. In 2020, there were 200 million songs on SoundCloud.
(Source: Business of Apps)
SoundCloud hit 100 million tracks back in 2015. Thе number has been increasing exponentially ever since.
8. SoundCloud’s revenue for 2020 was over $200 million.
(Source: Business of Apps)
The company’s revenue has been growing steadily throughout the years.
It surpassed the 100 million mark for the first time in 2018.
9. As of 2022, SoundCloud is worth around $800 million.
(Source: Wealthy Persons)
Experts estimated SoundCloud’s net worth at about $800 million in February 2022.
This is a huge increase, given that SoundCloud’s 2020 valuation was $500 million.
10. SoundCloud has raised over $500 million in funding.
(Source: Craft)
The platform's total funding is $542.8 million accumulated across six rounds.
The largest investment ($169.5 million) came from Temasek Holdings and The Raine Group in August 2017.
The latest funding, $75 million, was made by SiriusXM in 2020.
11. Co-founder Alexander Ljung has a net worth of $50 million.
(Source: Celebrity Net Worth)
Alexander Ljung was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He has degrees in Marketing and Media Technology.
He founded SoundCloud together with Eric Wahlforss in 2007.
As of January 2022, Alexander’s net worth is estimated at $50 million.
History of SoundCloud
The past few SoundCloud stats probably made you wonder how it all started?
Let’s dive into the story of one of the largest music platforms worldwide.
12. SoundCloud has been around since 2008.
(Source: Business of Apps)
SoundCloud was made in 2007 by two university friends—Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss. They officially launched it in late 2008.
13. SoundCloud was founded in Sweden.
(Source: SuccessStory)
Just like its biggest competitor, Spotify, SoundCloud originates from Sweden.
Well, at least its founders are Swedish. That said, they established the company in Berlin.
Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss still own SoundCloud.
14. Initially, SoundCloud targeted music professionals.
(Source: Business of Apps)
The founders’ first idea was to create a platform for professional musicians only.
However, they soon realized how big the market for content creators is. And SoundCloud’s revenue stats show they weren’t wrong.
15. Twitter considered buying SoundCloud in 2014.
(Source: Vox)
Back then, Twitter suffered a growth problem. Looking for a way out, the social media company planned on acquiring SoundCloud.
The reported price for the deal was $2 billion. Despite the speculations, however, they didn’t reach an agreement.
16. Spotify, too, wanted to buy SoundCloud.
(Source: TechCrunch)
The two companies discussed the potential acquisition in 2016. Alas, the union between the two music giants didn’t happen.
Although we don’t know much about the deal, speculations are that Spotify backed out.
17. SoundCloud nearly bankrupted in 2017.
(Source: silicon ANGLE)
SoundCloud was reportedly going out of business in 2017. The company announced its financial problems in January that year.
Luckily, it was saved by the largest funding it has ever received. Temasek Holdings and The Raine Group invested $169.5 million in the company.
18. SoundCloud laid off 40% of its employees in 2017.
(Source: Business Insider)
SoundCloud had offices in Berlin, New York, London, and San Francisco in 2017.
A total of 420 people worked for the music platform at the time. When it faced serious financial issues, it cut 173 positions.
19. As of 2022, the company has almost 1,600 employees.
(Source: Craft)
With the new investment started growing SoundCloud’s net worth, user base, and employee count.
The exact number of workers is not known. Still, experts estimate that SoundCloud has 1,596 employees.
20. SoundCloud’s top competitor is discogs.com.
(Source: SimilarWeb)
According to SimilarWeb’s analytics, SoundCloud’s main competitor is discogs.com—an American music database and marketplace.
Other concurrent websites are beatport.com, bandcamp.com, last.fm, and mixcloud.com.
21. In December 2021, the US accounted for 28% of the traffic on SoundCloud.
(Source: SimilarWeb)
SoundCloud statistics show that the largest portion of the traffic comes from US users.
It is followed by the United Kingdom (5.71%), Germany (4.64%), Canada (3.44%), and France (3.2%).
22. SoundCloud has free and paid plans.
(Source: Business Insider)
iOS and Android users can listen to music on SoundCloud for free.
For ad-free listening and unlimited offline tracks, though, you need a paid subscription. You can get one for as little as $4.99 a month.
The paid plan is even more useful for creators. SoundCloud Pro Unlimited allows them to upload three hours of audio and access personal statistics.
23. In 2021, SoundCloud started a new fee distribution model.
(Source: iNews)
Apart from increasing its revenue, SoundCloud distributes part of the subscriber fees to artists.
Nothing new here. But the way it does that is unique.
In April 2021, it became the first music platform to distribute the subscriber fees only to the artists they listen to. This way, creators could earn significantly more.
Previously, the company and its competitors paid artists based on their share of total streams.
24. “Rapstar” by Polo G was the most streamed song of 2021.
(Source: Playback SoundCloud)
The track was definitely the hit of the year on SoundCloud.
According to the platform’s recap, it topped three categories—“Hit of the year,” “Longest run,” and “Hardest hit.”
Which will be the most played song on SoundCloud for 2022?
We don’t know yet. But we do know which is the all-time track on the platform.
25. The most played song on SoundCloud is “Promise” by Jimin.
(Source: Routenote)
As of September 2021, “Promise” by the BTS singer Jimin is the most played song on SoundCloud of all time.
Uploaded in 2018, it was streamed nearly 300 million times in two years.
Next on the list based on the SoundCloud play stats are:
- “Fuck love” by XXXTENTACION ft. Trippie Redd—280.6 million plays
- “XO TOUR Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert—240 million plays
- “Lucid Dreams” by Juice WRLD—228.4 million plays
- “Lean On” by Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO—220.4 million plays
26. As of June 2021, the most followed creator on SoundCloud was Future.
(Source: Routenote)
The American rapper Future had 9.92 million followers at the time. The next four artists in the top five chart are:
- Big Sean—9.5 million followers
- Thanos Petrelis—8.51 million followers
- Young Money—8.48 million followers
- Wale—8.32 million followers
27. Some of the biggest stars today started on SoundCloud.
(Source: SoundCloud)
Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Da Baby, Khalid, Post Malone, and Lil Nas X started their careers on SoundCloud.
28. There were 25 million SoundCloud creators in 2020.
(Source: Business of Apps)
SoundCloud statistics show that 25 million creators worldwide post on the platform. That is three million more than in 2019.
29. SoundCloud has real-time stats for creators.
(Source: Routenote)
After publishing a song, creators can track their listeners’ behavior. The statistics reveal who is listening, loving, and sharing their piece.
30. SoundCloud has analytics for users as well.
(Source: SoundCloud)
SoundCloud launched “Your 2021 Playback” in December 2021. The feature included a personalized playlist with your top songs of the year.
To have one, you must have an account and play at least 30 tracks by 10 different artists.
You can see your stats on SoundCloud by logging into your account.
31. The platform offers “hidden gems.”
(Source: SoundCloud)
Besides your most-played song, SoundCloud creates a playlist of tracks you might have missed.
The “hidden gems” are recommendations based on your favorite songs for the year.
32. SoundCloud plans to integrate NFTs.
(Source: SoundCloud Reviews)
The platform is constantly trying to find new ways to support its creators.
In January 2022, SoundCloud’s CEO Micheal Weissman revealed the plan to integrate NFTs and direct artist subscriptions.
Initially, there were discussions about tipping, too. But board members agreed this wouldn’t do much.
Wrap Up
The SoundCloud statistics above show the spirit of a company that is here to stay.
It has gone through many obstacles in the last 12 years. And yet, it is still among the largest audio platforms.
The countless tracks and the opportunity to grow as a creator attract people from around the world to SoundCloud.
Sources
Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.
