SoundCloud has unveiled ‘Ascending,’ its new global artist development program which aims to identify and promote breakthrough artists globally.
After a year of testing, the program is now fully operational, with American musician Laila! chosen as the featured artist for September.
The program is designed to provide emerging artists with the tools they need before they break into mainstream, SoundCloud said Thursday (September 5). Ascending provides enhanced visibility and marketing support for artists, allowing them to connect with new audiences, boost their streaming numbers, and accelerate their career growth.
The program, which has been in pilot mode since early 2023, has already helped break artists like Kenya Grace, Shaboozey, Barry Can’t Swim, TiaCorine, Teezo Touchdown, Odetari, and more. Each month, Ascending selects one artist for focused promotion, similar to Spotify’s Radar and Apple Music’s Up Next programs.
With SoundCloud’s Ascending, the program provides a month-long, customized support package for the chosen artist, including prominent features such as billboards in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London, curated playlists, social media promotion, and on-platform exposure. SoundCloud also offers strategic marketing to help maximize the artist’s reach during the promotional period.
Artists are selected based on their organic growth on SoundCloud, with additional requirements such as being a Next Pro subscriber. The timing of an artist’s music releases is also taken into account. Previous participants saw substantial increases in both followers and streams during their time in the program, SoundCloud said.
To mark the official debut of Ascending, SoundCloud has selected Laila!, an artist discovered by the platform’s A&R team. Since joining SoundCloud’s joint venture with IIIXL Studio, Laila! has quickly made a name for herself. Since April 2024, Laila!’s weekly global streams have skyrocketed to 6 million from 1.6 million. Her latest single, Not My Problem, has amassed over 44 million streams globally across all platforms since its release in June 2024. Over the past 90 days, her SoundCloud followers have increased by 102%, while her global streams on all platforms have surged by 104%.
“I’m excited to be a part of Ascending’s inaugural program,” said Laila. “The support from SoundCloud has been amazing and with my release of my first album Gap Year on the 6th, this is gearing up to be a September I will always remember!”
IIIXL Studio’s Sickamore added: “I have been involved in the music industry for over 20 years, and Laila is the type of talent that comes along once in a generation. She’s a producer, songwriter, and creator, making her the perfect ambassador for everything that IIIXL, SoundCloud, and Ascending represents.”
Ascending marks SoundCloud’s latest artist development offering after launching a creator discovery campaign called ‘First on SoundCloud.’ SoundCloud also has a feature called Buzzing Playlists, which were designed to address the ‘Zero-Plays Problem’ faced by many new artists.
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