SoundCloud to Launch a New ‘Buzzing Playlists’ Feature

The new ‘Buzzing Playlists’ feature will curate playlists “based on genuine fan engagement” and feature up-and-coming songs across various genres, including pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. These tracks will come from artists who are part of SoundCloud’s Next Pro paid subscription program and have requested for their tracks to be analyzed by SoundCloud’s First Fans program.

First Fans is the platform’s AI recommendation algorithm, and as SoundCloud claims, it has already analyzed over 3.5 million tracks since launching in summer 2023. The algorithm engine is reportedly also responsible for a 400% increase in the number of listeners for the Next Pro artists.

The way the new SoundCloud playlists will work is based on Next Pro artists first uploading a track and opting into having it evaluated by the First Fans program. First Fans will then recommend the evaluated tracks to up to 100 “real listeners, not bots.” This group of listeners should consist of individuals who are most likely to love the track based on their past listening behavior.

As is usually the case, the top tracks will be recommended to a wider audience of up to 1,000 listeners. In the end, the best-performing songs — those with the highest listener engagement — will secure a spot on the Buzzing Playlist of a specific genre. Reportedly, the tracks featured in the Buzzing Playlists will have a chance of being further highlighted in SoundCloud charts and editorial playlists.

Individual Buzzing Playlists will be updated weekly based on signals such as repeat plays, likes, comments, playlists added, and reposts.