Copyright and Cyber Security Rules for SoundCloud Creators: How to Promote Your Account Safely?

If you have an account on SoundCloud, you already know how perfect the platform is for music makers and lovers alike. A versatile community of artists, studios, producers, and listeners uses this online audio-sharing platform. It is one of the best spaces for new music community members to showcase their talent. However, as with all artistic products, audio sharing is governed by its dos and don’ts. If you want to build a successful brand presence here, it is not enough to accumulate organic listeners, buy Sound Cloud plays and have a great marketing reach. If you look carefully, you may find some reliable sources to buy SoundCloud plays cheap. You must also be aware of all the existing copyright and cyber security rules to be able to promote your tracks safely.

Let us look into the protocols you must always follow when creating content for publication on SoundCloud.

Copyright Rules: What Are They and What You Should Keep in Mind

The word Copyright has been through many definition changes over the centuries, and it is hence a complicated term whose boundaries are not clear to many. Simply put, a copyright is a legal claim on any form of intellectual property. The owner of creative work is granted by law the exclusive right to “copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time.” This time can range anywhere from 50 to 100 years depending on the law protecting the copyright, as copyright laws vary from country to country and sometimes even from state to state within the same country.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Here is what you should do if you are unsure of what rights you have over the sounds you have used to create your track:

• Always be original. If you are the creator/composer of the sound set, you will not need to worry about infringing on another’s intellectual property.
• Always take permission in writing from copyright owners to use their track samples in your audio.
• Ensure you have a signed document if you create tracks for a label/studio. The manuscript should say you have the right to the music. If not, you would need permission from the label to promote and share your work.
• Get permission from any group/ band you are part of to share collaboration tracks.
• Get in touch with a lawyer to understand the fine print regarding laws governing any sound you use that is not your own.

Violating copyright is a punishable offense, and it can cost you your SoundCloud account and your right to create music and perform, in addition to being fined. Keep in mind that when you use dialogues, nuggets of other people’s voices /recording of scripts, etc., you must have the proper permissions to share the overall work. Copyright rules govern all types of audio content, including soundtracks, podcasts, and readings. So, before you try to find an audience for your work, make sure you are on the right side of the copyright laws.

Cyber Security Guidelines: The Essential Rules You Must Follow When Posting on SoundCloud

While copyright laws protect the right to intellectual property, cybersecurity laws protect against digital theft and tampering with identity, networks, and programs. They also guard against the misuse of hardware and software services.

In addition to protecting track ownership, SoundCloud account owners must ensure their accounts are secure. In recent times SoundCloud reported fixing several bugs in its application programming interface (API) that were causing account holders to become vulnerable on multiple fronts. SoundCloud hosts over 200 million digital tracks uploaded by creators from over 190 countries as an open audio platform. API security flaws can be a high risk to account holders here as exposed usernames and passwords, and content can lead to account hacking and misuse in many ways.

As a content creature, keeping yourself aware of the threat culture and what you can do to avoid it is a bare necessity. Some basics here include ensuring:

1. You have set a strong password/passphrase for your account and keep it confidential.
2. You own the rights to all the music you publish, so you can legally counter any creative theft of your tracks.
3. You report any impersonators of your account with verifiable evidence.
4. You are always alert to any phishing traps you send in messages, comments, or other forms. Cyber attackers can use these to bait you into visiting malicious sites that can harm your account.
5. You do not use any unauthorized software or program to make your content for your account.

Keep in mind that you are accountable for all activities that are linked to your credentials. If you feel your account is hacked, you must report it immediately.

Additional Community Guidelines that May Apply to Your SoundCloud Content

Image by Use at your Ease from Pixabay

Keep in mind that your content is also subject to the internal rules and regulations set by SoundCloud. These rules vary from country to country so read your guidelines carefully before creating any content. SoundCloud also may update its conditions now and then, so ensure that you are always up to date with the platform’s policies. SoundCloud reserves the right to take off any content that violates these terms at any time. Follow these protocols at all times:

• Keep your language respectful. Foul language can not only get your content removed and your account acted upon, but it can also actually work against you in case you report an infringement issue or any other problem with your SoundCloud account.
• Do not report issues with content that you are not an owner/ authorized spokesperson for. SoundCloud considers it abusive reporting, so if you notice a problem with someone’s account/ content, it might be a good idea to communicate with the owner and let them approach SoundCloud if they want to.
• Respect the diversity of the community you are a part of and be sensitive to the collaborative culture here. Build goodwill and a platform of inclusiveness. Content that targets a particular community, belief, or culture will be flagged when noticed by SoundCloud, and it will only impact your social proof negatively.

What Else Can You Do to Promote Your SoundCloud Account Safely?

1. Master your niche

No matter how good you are, there is always more to learn, understand and improve. A true artist is constantly learning and improving themselves. Promote yourself by immersing yourself in your niche, bettering yourself, and creating signature content with which your listeners can identify. To reach this state, simply:

• Engage with others in your area of specialization.
• Check the emergent trends and new experimental content created in your field.
• Follow industry gurus.
• Interact with others who have similar interests as you and collaborate to expand your musical horizon as well as your audience’s reach.
• Share nuggets of creative content in closed groups privately to research audience responses, gather feedback, and iron out clinks before publishing your final work publicly.

2. Communicate to become a member of the community instead of becoming an aggressive competitor 

Of course, as an artist, you are always locked in a creative battle to attract the best collaborators and sponsors for your art, but you are an essential member of the music fraternity and must build your social connections based on this. In addition to being polite and sensitive, you must also add to the community by:

• Offering constructive feedback on others’ content.
• When you see the need to offer criticism, ensure that the focus is on the content, not the creator.
• Appreciate feedback when it comes to you and respond to all who take the time to review and leave an opinion on your content.
• Steer clear of hate speech at all costs. If you receive it, block the sender or report the issue, but do not retaliate with a post in a similar language.

While successful brand building depends on communication and conversations, good brand building also depends on knowing how and when to stop. Do not:

• Repeatedly approach accounts that do not wish to communicate to you.
• Engage with anyone who tells you directly that they are not interested in the content you have up on your account.
• Publish third-party personal information.

3. Check content from several contexts before publishing 

Good content is not only original but should be quickly embraced by whoever hears it. When you put up tracks, ensure that:

• There is no unauthorized element in any part of it-sound, picture, vocabulary, or presentation.
• If you reference anyone, it should be done subtly with no revelation of personal details of any kind.
• No part of your content is intentionally misleading.
• There are no impersonating elements without due permission.

SoundCloud has clear guidelines on sexual content, ASMR content, and content with references to violence. Ensure you are within the protocols before creating any content. For instance, you may be allowed to develop an educational podcast on the historical use of arms and ammunition in different wars. Still, you cannot create a tutorial on making guns.

4. Advertise your SoundCloud content on other platforms keeping in mind the rules governing them

Although most guidelines on Social Sharing are similar, each platform has its specific dos and don’ts. Promote your SoundCloud account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms to get more patrons and listeners. Do so after ensuring you are not violating rules on these platforms while cross-posting. Also, choose the right content for the right platform. Mindless cross promotions may put off interested visitors instead of attracting them. While you must advertise and promote yourself, also be careful not to over-promote. Focus on quality over quantity. Let your audience know you are worth following by selling yourself smart, not hard.

In a Nutshell

SoundCloud can be your passport to shining in the music industry flawlessly if you play by the rules and keep in mind all the legal guidelines surrounding the creation of tracks. You can become an empowered and enabling member of the community of creators who respects others and, in turn, is respected as an artist by others if you stick by these guidelines when promoting your SoundCloud account. But it all works out beautifully only when you are clear about your end goals and have a plan to achieve them. Know your audience, understand your rivals, and get acquainted with the current trends in your niche. Get inspired but do not copy or infringe on others’ content. You will be well on your way to promoting your account safely and successfully.