SoundCloud now gates tracks to followers and is testing zero-commission sales. How that compares with Bandcamp

SoundCloud started a beta of direct music purchases on 26 Aug 2026. About 200 US-based Artist Pro creators who have Fan Support switched on can now sell tracks from their SoundCloud profiles. SoundCloud says it takes no commission: artists get the proceeds of each sale "less applicable fees and taxes". It follows Follower Exclusive Releases in March, which lets the same paid tier keep a track for followers only. Put together, the two features give an independent artist a route from free listener to follower to buyer without a label, a distributor's storefront or a second platform.

How do the two features work?

Follower Exclusive Releases launched on 30 Mar 2026. Artist Pro creators can share a track only with people who follow them, either for a limited time or indefinitely. SoundCloud suggests early demos, works in progress and surprise drops. Dutch DJ and producer Chris Stussy launched it by giving followers his track "What makes you feel…" ahead of his debut album Lost, Found & Forgotten…, released on 3 April, as Music Business Worldwide reported. The gate is a follow, not a payment, so the feature grows an audience. It doesn't earn anything directly.

Direct music purchases is where the money comes in. In the beta, artists set the price of eligible tracks, can put music they already stream up for sale, and see sales in Artist Studio and the Fan Support Dashboard. Fans buy and download in whatever format the artist provides, such as MP3 or WAV. SoundCloud says access will widen gradually and reach "all eligible creators later this fall". Engadget adds that artists still pay processing fees and handle local taxes. NME reports that SoundCloud plans to expand to more regions "soon". As of 23 Oct we had found no SoundCloud announcement that the wider rollout has happened.

SoundCloud explains the demand with its own figures. More than 250,000 artists have linked over 2.4 million tracks to outside music platforms, and SoundCloud sends more than half a million users a year to other sites to buy music. In its research, 28% of surveyed artists either already sell downloadable music or want to (14% in each group). It also says superfans can spend "up to five times more" on music and artists than casual listeners. None of these numbers has been independently audited, and the 28% comes from a survey whose sample size SoundCloud doesn't give.

Where this fits in SoundCloud's plan

Sales are the latest addition to a paid artist subscription that SoundCloud has been filling up for a year. In October 2025 it said it would stop taking a share of distribution royalties from the end of November 2025, and it added Fan Support, a tip button on which it takes no commission, along with on-demand vinyl and merch. In July 2026 it acquired Nina Protocol, a platform for independent artists that was winding down, and offered its artists a migration path on which they could "continue selling directly to fans". SoundCloud no longer takes a cut on distribution, tips or now sales, so the subscription is what pays for all of it.

How does it compare with Bandcamp?

Bandcamp publishes its terms plainly. Its fees page says it takes 15% of digital sales and 10% of physical sales. The digital share falls to 10% once an artist passes $5,000 in sales, and stays there while they keep earning at least $5,000 over 12 months. Payment processor fees come on top and "typically range between 4 and 6%". On Bandcamp Fridays, eight days in 2026, Bandcamp waives its own share but not the processor fees.

Here is what that means for a sale. On a $10 download, Bandcamp keeps $1.50 and processing takes roughly another 40 to 60 cents, which by our arithmetic leaves the artist about $7.90 to $8.10. On SoundCloud's beta the 15% is gone, so the artist pays only fees and taxes. But SoundCloud hasn't said what those fees are, who processes payments or when payouts land, so for now nobody can compare the two terms like for like.

The other difference is the entry ticket. Bandcamp's fees page describes a revenue share and doesn't mention a subscription. SoundCloud's sales and follower gating are only for Artist Pro, a paid plan. For an artist who already pays for Artist Pro to distribute music, sales come free with it. For anyone who doesn't, the subscription takes the place of the commission. That's a better deal for artists who sell a lot and a worse one for those who sell a few tracks a year.

What we think

These are good tools, and they're good for artists in a specific way: they let you sell to your fans where your fans already listen. SoundCloud's own figure is half a million buyers a year sent somewhere else. Every one of those trips is a chance to lose the sale, so keeping them on the profile should convert better than a link out. The follower gate also improves on the usual "pre-save" campaign, because fans get to hear the music, not just a promise of it.

Two things keep us from calling this a better deal than Bandcamp yet. The first is that "zero commission" is a claim about SoundCloud's cut, not about the artist's take-home pay. Until SoundCloud publishes its processing fees and payout schedule as clearly as Bandcamp does, an artist can't tell what they will actually net from a sale. The second is that free sales depend on a subscription, and a subscription's price and features can change at any time. Bandcamp's 15% is a cost artists know. SoundCloud's offer is cheaper on paper, but it depends on whether Artist Pro stays the same.

There is also a reason to welcome the competition. Engadget notes that Bandcamp reportedly laid off most of its engineering team in June, renewing fears about its future. A credible second place to sell downloads, with a large audience already attached, gives independent artists somewhere to go if Bandcamp declines, and puts pressure on Bandcamp's 15%.

Our advice: if you are in the beta or get access this fall, use it alongside Bandcamp, not instead of it, until SoundCloud publishes its fee schedule. Put the same release on both at the same price and compare what each one actually pays into your account. The follower gate costs nothing to try, so save one unreleased track for followers before your next release and see whether it brings you new followers.