SoundCloud Introduces advertising in NZ + OZ enabling brands to reach music and audio fans

SoundCloud, the world’s largest music and audio platform with 175 million monthly listeners, introduced today a range of advertising offerings that will now support its existing free service in Australia and New Zealand.

From today, SoundCloud’s free service will be supported by audio advertising, mobile interstitials, promoted tracks, creator partnerships and more.  SoundCloud is currently recruiting a Sydney-based sales team that will take responsibility for managing local brand partnerships and ad sales as well as native partnerships – the likes of which have seen UK artists Sizzlebird team up with Jaguar to produce the track ‘Leaves.’

Additionally, SoundCloud will partner with AdsWizz and Triton Digital for interstitials, as well as the audio ads listeners will hear when listening to content from creators who participate in the SoundCloud monetisation programme.

As part of the Australia and New Zealand launch of SoundCloud’s monetisation programme, the platform’s consumer subscription service – SoundCloud Go – is also now available in Australia and New Zealand from today. SoundCloud Go enables subscribers to opt out of advertising as well as enjoy an expanded catalogue of music, offline listening, and other features.

SoundCloud has hosted advertising in the US since the launch of its monetisation program in August 2014, extending its commitment to remunerate artists for the work they upload to the platform. The launch of SoundCloud advertising offerings in Australia and New Zealand follow successful international launches in the UK, Ireland and France earlier this year.

“The introduction of advertising forms a cornerstone of our commitment to the interest of our creator community, 12 million of which are heard each month on our platform,” said Sonia Flynn, SoundCloud’s Vice President of International.  “Each time an ad is heard on SoundCloud, an artist will get paid, and will help to ensure the free offering remains available alongside the premium option, SoundCloud Go,” Flynn added.

To date, SoundCloud has run successful campaigns with the likes of HBO, Pepsi, Netflix, Amazon, and 20th Century Fox in the US.  The first brand advertisers in the UK and Ireland were Squarespace and TuneCore, extending a relationship already established in the US.  In France, brand partners included Zalando and 20th Century Fox.