SoundCloud is giving artists a new way to reward their most loyal fans, introducing a feature that lets artists release music exclusively to their followers before it reaches anyone else.
The feature, called ‘Follower Exclusive Releases,’ is available to Artist Pro subscribers and allows creators to gate tracks behind a follow either temporarily or permanently. Artists can use it to share early demos, surprise drops, or previews ahead of a wider release.
SoundCloud launched the new feature with Dutch DJ Chris Stussy’s latest single ‘What makes you feel…’ exclusively with his SoundCloud followers ahead of his debut album Lost, Found & Forgotten…, which arrives on Friday (April 3).
Stussy said: “I’ve been using SoundCloud since the start. During my early days I was uploading a lot of podcasts and recorded sets. I sometimes gave away a free download or posted snippets of upcoming tracks I was making.
“For this occasion I’d like to share ‘What makes you feel…’ as a thank you for everyone who’s been listening to me on the platform all those years. It’s part of the ‘Forgotten’ side of my album and I’m playing this track a lot as my intro the last couple of months. Enjoy this one, all the best.”
“I’ve been using SoundCloud since the start. During my early days I was uploading a lot of podcasts and recorded sets. I sometimes gave away a free download or posted snippets of upcoming tracks I was making.”
Chris Stussy
SoundCloud says the new feature is one of its tools to promote active listening culture among fans.
SoundCloud says fans on its platform can comment on tracks in real time, DM artists directly, repost songs to their own communities, and help drive what breaks next. SoundCloud said: “Follower Exclusive Releases builds on that foundation by giving artists a way to reward the day ones and the fans who are most tapped in.”
For artists, the new feature allows them to “experiment, build momentum and deepen relationships with their audience,” said SoundCloud.
For fans, following an artist now gives them exclusive access to music they “won’t hear anywhere else—at least not yet,” the company said.
The new tool comes as SoundCloud says its platform now hosts more than 500 million tracks.
In December, the platform partnered with Auracles, a digital identity platform founded by Grammy-winning artist Imogen Heap, to offer “clarity, protection, and creative autonomy” to artists in the digital world.
The integration brings Auracles into SoundCloud’s Benefits Partner Program, allowing artists to connect their SoundCloud profiles directly to Auracles, import music projects between the two platforms.
In November, SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton said the platform is building music’s “next major revenue format” — fan-driven income streams that sit alongside traditional streaming royalties.
SoundCloud eliminated its distribution revenue share at the end of November 2025, meaning artists have started keeping 100% of their royalties from distribution to platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, and 50+ other services – and continued to provide 100% of their earnings on SoundCloud itself.
SoundCloud’s new releases format came about a month after iHeartMedia and TikTok partnered to launch what they describe as “a new blueprint for artist launches moving forward,” starting with a campaign for Bruno Mars’ first solo album in nearly a decade. The campaign on February 26 came a day before The Romantic dropped via Atlantic Records. The platforms streamed a live broadcast called Romantic Radio with Bruno Mars: An iHeartRadio Album Preview simultaneously on TikTok and across more than 145 iHeartRadio stations nationwide. The promo reached over 270 stations in the US.
Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia, at the time said: “The iHeartMedia–TikTok album release format signals a broader shift: from passive distribution to an interactive cultural moment that delivered deeper engagement and set record-breaking results.”
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