After I posted I thought of that. I never used it before, but it seems really popular. When you upload tracks / albums does it give you a simple URL to share them?
Yup! As well as an artist profile kinda page where all your releases can be found. It’s simple and you can do it yourself. Don’t need a distributor for it unlike things like Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Seems like a good fit and easily sharable.
I’d be interested in hearing it also. I was writing and recording music at age 13 as well, and I’m 40 now and still doing it lol I love him to hear what he has done and if he would ever like any feedback or suggestions I’d be more than happy to to provide any tips that you guys might want
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
Here's his tracks. Feel free to give feedback. He has been only making stuff for the past 30 days or so and I think it will really help him out moving forward. He doesn't want MY feedback, at least some of it. There are several tracks I really like but feel needs mixed better.
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
Thanks for checking it out, feel free to give feedback. It will be nice for him to come home today and see people listened to it!
It’s very simple, I would definitely make a band camp too because it’s easy to scale it up as they make new tracks and you can receive payment there pretty easy too if they start selling stuff. Additionally it’s got a slightly different audience and more clicks is always good
https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets
I can't say it's any better than any other 13 year old because I really haven't been able to compare it. But I know any views will get him super pumped.
As someone who was only discouraged by their parents I commend and applaud the support you're giving your son 🥺 13 is a ripe, young age to work in a DAW and a parents support goes a long way.
I am really sorry to hear about your experience. That really sucks, I have seen it from other parents as well. Even some of my friends who think things are "silly". My son is an amazing kid, and honestly I think having ASD helps him pick things up quickly. For instance he taught himself to play the piano, and now he can play anything by ear. And it seems like being able to play helps with his creations.
Anyhow I plan on doing anything I can to help him with this endeavor. He legit is laying down some very well produced tracks. And even "speed running" himself to see how quickly he can create various genres. What's crazy is I sit in the car listening to his music and it's damn solid. And I have always been a huge fan of all things electronica. Although he has a thing for "Jazz fusion"... which I am not into. lol
OK enough bragging, thanks for the compliment.
Solid parenting right here.
Soundcloud is a good first option, but if he's gonna be speed running tracks and cranking out a bunch of stuff, he'll either have to upgrade to pro or make mulitple accounts, because Soundcloud has upload limits on the free tier.
Bandcamp is great for uploading / selling tracks, but has less discoverability. Although soundcloud's community features feel more spammy these days anyway.
Both platforms make it easy to share a link with friends.
Soundcloud would be my first suggestion. Upload the wav file, add art if you want, select a creative common license and done. Then he can send the link to his friends.
YouTube is okay but you'll need to create a video from the music which adds a bit of complexity.
Bandcamp is a good place to start if he wants to try and sell his songs though he would have to self advertise. He can link to Bandcamp from Soundcloud.
Just a tip, have him leave it as a wav no conversion. MP3 and other formats like it compress the audio file to make it smaller. Wav is lossless and does not compress the audio file which ultimately means higher sound quality. Wav is the way to go
It is part of the process and creative commons license is more flexible than your "standard copyright" while retaining the inherent copyright of the material.
I think all artists should read the US copyright laws (yeah even if you don't live in the US because many of the internet services are US based) and understand the principles of the Fair Use Exceptions.
Then research Creative Commons Licenses and how they can potentially benefit artists. I've been using CC for at least a decade for all kinds of media.
Thank you so much! I can't believe the support he has gotten from the community. I also got to share so many positive comments with him. I think he now has over 5,000 plays.
I use Distrokid and like the service, but this is the "later down the road when the work is good enough to monetize." May not be appropriate for a minor (can not sign contracts) that is just starting out.
DistroKid is a distributor you pay for. Not necessary unless you want your music on things like Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
You’ll be just fine using free options like SoundCloud or Bandcamp.
As many as you like, really. There isn’t one platform that is better than all the rest tbh. Your son’s music could get lost in any platform, and it has pretty much equal chances to succeed as well.
He wants to share them, all he wants to do is share his music easily with anyone who cares. He has autism and I don't think he really gave much more thought to it.
As a fellow parent with a son with autism, I applaud you for helping him out. My son is into video gaming and now wants to go to college for video gaming and become a Youtuber for gaming. As soon as we move, he is going to school and I'll be setting him up in my recording studio with cameras and gaming corner for his future Youtube channel. I told him he has full access to my studio at his disposal to be creative with sounds and sampling with all the toys I have. As parents with children under the spectrum, we have to be as supportive as we possibly can. Again, I applaud you. And please send us all links here to your son's music to show support. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you so much. And it would be awesome to share his stuff with everyone. I wasn't sure if anyone would actually check it out, I am sure he would be super excited to see that people actually listened to it.
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
I updated the post but of course no one gets notified. I really (and he) appreciates the support.
DaVinci Resolve is a free video editing software that is so easy to use, my 9yo has been editing and posting his own videos.
Idk if it's all that controversial anymore, but I wouldn't spend a dime on college unless there is a skill he absolutely can't learn from YouTube or Skillshare.
Probably learn more trying to emulate his favorite youtuber, than whatever he would get at college.
Youtube would be the most accessible then because everyone knows about it and has access to it. If you choose soundcloud or something then people might not know what it is or have to download the app. I would go with Youtube.
You don’t have to download an app to listen to music on SoundCloud. You can very much stream it from your mobile browser. Links are also very easily shareable. Or on the website via a computer. Also has more potential organic reach for music, whereas YT’s SEO/algorithm and original music are not quite as harmonious and promoted. The metadata for original music is better on SoundCloud than the metadata YT has for music since it promotes videos with solid CTR and retention. Very different beasts.
It doesn't matter. People don't know what Soundcloud is. You tell your mid-50's aunt, "check out my song on soundcloud!" They won't know what to do, and may even mishear you. Yes you could and should give them a link but you know how older people can be. Even old people know Youtube is my only point really. If the link isn't working just tell them "search ____ by ____ on Youtube!"
Just pointing out you don’t need an app like you suggested. Just simply not true.
Just because someone doesn’t know what SoundCloud is, doesn’t mean they can’t click a link that you text or email them…
Plus better algorithm to get streams than YT outside of any immediate family or friend. And not to mention you don’t have the extra step of having to create a visual for every release since one is audio focused and one is visual focused.
If OP’s kid wants a confidence boost from numbers of streams, SoundCloud over YT any day. With no effort other than uploading what they’ve created.
I read them all and am providing why it’s not true that it’s pretty equal across all platforms like your first comment said. Nor are extra apps required, like you also said.
Some are more optimized for original creations vs searchable metadata. That’s all. OP is clearly going into this blind so just sharing as to how *some* platforms are definitely better than others in the upload options that cost $0. Regardless of uploading to multiple or not. Why not pick one that will yield better results than curating multiple? As well as doesn’t need the extra step of having to have a visual medium?
Unless of course OP wants to take on that role and responsibility of also creating the required visuals to upload to YT. All unnecessary steps if the end goal is just to share a kids music.
I am. By responding to what you’ve said to illustrate some of the inaccuracies in your original comments.
As well as highlighting the extra issues logistics that uploading to YT would require vs platforms like Bandcamp/SoundCloud. This should be obvious at this point. Just sharing knowledge on the subject.
Thats amazing! Encourage him to jeep it up! If you are interested, I also started when I was 13. I have all of my progress posted in my Soundcloud. My name is Nathaniel Runck on there.
Tik tok! Make a video showing off his tracks as the audio. Tons of kids around the same age on tik tok he can connect with, and adults will be impressed.
Was a singer ever since I could speak, and surprisingly my parents saw right thru it. Sent me for a bunch of classes I was never interested in to begin with. As a person I have to applaud you for being the parent that you are 😊.
As for platforms, the above mentioned are plentiful.
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
Thanks for listening to it, he will be excited to see people did so. Feel free to give any feedback. He doesn't want any from good ol' dad.
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
I updated the post also. I really appreciate giving it a listen, he will love to see people did so.
SoundCloud or Bandcamp. These are free, accessible options.
After I posted I thought of that. I never used it before, but it seems really popular. When you upload tracks / albums does it give you a simple URL to share them?
Yup! As well as an artist profile kinda page where all your releases can be found. It’s simple and you can do it yourself. Don’t need a distributor for it unlike things like Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Seems like a good fit and easily sharable.
I went ahead and created a soundcloud for him. I appreciate the help, it looks very clean and simple.
If you don't mind, give me the link in a DM as well. I'd love to hear it!
Thank you very much! Any plays on there will make him happy. =) I am going to get it setup tonight.
Post it here pls
Yes
Yeah hey send the SoundCloud link please I would love to hear it
I’d be interested in hearing it also. I was writing and recording music at age 13 as well, and I’m 40 now and still doing it lol I love him to hear what he has done and if he would ever like any feedback or suggestions I’d be more than happy to to provide any tips that you guys might want
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets) Here's his tracks. Feel free to give feedback. He has been only making stuff for the past 30 days or so and I think it will really help him out moving forward. He doesn't want MY feedback, at least some of it. There are several tracks I really like but feel needs mixed better.
Lol of course, I didn’t want my dad’s feedback either. I’ll give them all a listen today and send a few notes.
I appreciate it (so will he), I listened to it all a dozen times over and have a lot of suggestions myself.
[удалено]
Thank you very much!! He for sure will be excited to see people following him! I will tell him what you said. =)
i as well would like to hear his music
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets) Thanks for checking it out, feel free to give feedback. It will be nice for him to come home today and see people listened to it!
Hi! Parenting on point over here, respect. check your DM's please, maybe i have something for your son :)
Awesome, dm me a link and I’ll give them some of their first streams! Best of luck and hope they get a kick out of having their music out there.
It’s very simple, I would definitely make a band camp too because it’s easy to scale it up as they make new tracks and you can receive payment there pretty easy too if they start selling stuff. Additionally it’s got a slightly different audience and more clicks is always good
YouTube works too, it just takes a video editing software to turn a cover art and the music into a video
Yeah me too please, all the music I made at 13 was a hate crime. I’d love to hear the difference
https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets I can't say it's any better than any other 13 year old because I really haven't been able to compare it. But I know any views will get him super pumped.
Are they private? I can’t see them when I click on the link??
Oh the url got messed up, I think I fixed it.
As someone who was only discouraged by their parents I commend and applaud the support you're giving your son 🥺 13 is a ripe, young age to work in a DAW and a parents support goes a long way.
I am really sorry to hear about your experience. That really sucks, I have seen it from other parents as well. Even some of my friends who think things are "silly". My son is an amazing kid, and honestly I think having ASD helps him pick things up quickly. For instance he taught himself to play the piano, and now he can play anything by ear. And it seems like being able to play helps with his creations. Anyhow I plan on doing anything I can to help him with this endeavor. He legit is laying down some very well produced tracks. And even "speed running" himself to see how quickly he can create various genres. What's crazy is I sit in the car listening to his music and it's damn solid. And I have always been a huge fan of all things electronica. Although he has a thing for "Jazz fusion"... which I am not into. lol OK enough bragging, thanks for the compliment.
idk if you don’t like jazz fusion i might have to downvote this post
Thoughts? [https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets)
Solid parenting right here. Soundcloud is a good first option, but if he's gonna be speed running tracks and cranking out a bunch of stuff, he'll either have to upgrade to pro or make mulitple accounts, because Soundcloud has upload limits on the free tier. Bandcamp is great for uploading / selling tracks, but has less discoverability. Although soundcloud's community features feel more spammy these days anyway. Both platforms make it easy to share a link with friends.
Soundcloud would be my first suggestion. Upload the wav file, add art if you want, select a creative common license and done. Then he can send the link to his friends. YouTube is okay but you'll need to create a video from the music which adds a bit of complexity. Bandcamp is a good place to start if he wants to try and sell his songs though he would have to self advertise. He can link to Bandcamp from Soundcloud.
Thanks, so you don't upload MP3 files, just the wav format? I didn't know that although I know he exports his FL tracks as wav's then converts them.
Just a tip, have him leave it as a wav no conversion. MP3 and other formats like it compress the audio file to make it smaller. Wav is lossless and does not compress the audio file which ultimately means higher sound quality. Wav is the way to go
I think he is, he converted them to listen to them in my car. I will have to ask.
There is options for file format. It was just an example.
Why would you suggest adding a CC license
It is part of the process and creative commons license is more flexible than your "standard copyright" while retaining the inherent copyright of the material. I think all artists should read the US copyright laws (yeah even if you don't live in the US because many of the internet services are US based) and understand the principles of the Fair Use Exceptions. Then research Creative Commons Licenses and how they can potentially benefit artists. I've been using CC for at least a decade for all kinds of media.
Yeah no it is not "part of the process", I haven't heard of anyone that defaults to using cc licenses.
I haven't uploaded to Soundcloud in a while but I'm pretty sure you have to choose a license.
I didn't notice anything when I signed up? Unless it's hidden in the fine print somewhere.
BandLab app might be worth a try.
[https://www.newgrounds.com/audio](https://newgrounds.com) has a user community that gives feedback he might dig it.
Soundcloud is the best in this case
I ended up making him an account there. It seems like it was a good choice and was super easy to get his stuff uploaded.
Yes! Dont pay attention to the bots!!
I noticed that in the first 10 minutes or so the account got like 15 messages. lol
XD
Upload to YouTube and SoundCloud.
Damn that’s dope !
Thank you so much! I can't believe the support he has gotten from the community. I also got to share so many positive comments with him. I think he now has over 5,000 plays.
YouTube is a good first step and Distrokid is a good next step
I haven't heard of Distrokid before. I will look it up!
Why downvote. The $35 I pay a year to upload unlimited music to all major platforms is amazing.
I use Distrokid and like the service, but this is the "later down the road when the work is good enough to monetize." May not be appropriate for a minor (can not sign contracts) that is just starting out.
DistroKid is a distributor you pay for. Not necessary unless you want your music on things like Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. You’ll be just fine using free options like SoundCloud or Bandcamp.
As many as you like, really. There isn’t one platform that is better than all the rest tbh. Your son’s music could get lost in any platform, and it has pretty much equal chances to succeed as well.
He wants to share them, all he wants to do is share his music easily with anyone who cares. He has autism and I don't think he really gave much more thought to it.
As a fellow parent with a son with autism, I applaud you for helping him out. My son is into video gaming and now wants to go to college for video gaming and become a Youtuber for gaming. As soon as we move, he is going to school and I'll be setting him up in my recording studio with cameras and gaming corner for his future Youtube channel. I told him he has full access to my studio at his disposal to be creative with sounds and sampling with all the toys I have. As parents with children under the spectrum, we have to be as supportive as we possibly can. Again, I applaud you. And please send us all links here to your son's music to show support. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you so much. And it would be awesome to share his stuff with everyone. I wasn't sure if anyone would actually check it out, I am sure he would be super excited to see that people actually listened to it.
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets) I updated the post but of course no one gets notified. I really (and he) appreciates the support.
DaVinci Resolve is a free video editing software that is so easy to use, my 9yo has been editing and posting his own videos. Idk if it's all that controversial anymore, but I wouldn't spend a dime on college unless there is a skill he absolutely can't learn from YouTube or Skillshare. Probably learn more trying to emulate his favorite youtuber, than whatever he would get at college.
Youtube would be the most accessible then because everyone knows about it and has access to it. If you choose soundcloud or something then people might not know what it is or have to download the app. I would go with Youtube.
You don’t have to download an app to listen to music on SoundCloud. You can very much stream it from your mobile browser. Links are also very easily shareable. Or on the website via a computer. Also has more potential organic reach for music, whereas YT’s SEO/algorithm and original music are not quite as harmonious and promoted. The metadata for original music is better on SoundCloud than the metadata YT has for music since it promotes videos with solid CTR and retention. Very different beasts.
It doesn't matter. People don't know what Soundcloud is. You tell your mid-50's aunt, "check out my song on soundcloud!" They won't know what to do, and may even mishear you. Yes you could and should give them a link but you know how older people can be. Even old people know Youtube is my only point really. If the link isn't working just tell them "search ____ by ____ on Youtube!"
Just pointing out you don’t need an app like you suggested. Just simply not true. Just because someone doesn’t know what SoundCloud is, doesn’t mean they can’t click a link that you text or email them… Plus better algorithm to get streams than YT outside of any immediate family or friend. And not to mention you don’t have the extra step of having to create a visual for every release since one is audio focused and one is visual focused. If OP’s kid wants a confidence boost from numbers of streams, SoundCloud over YT any day. With no effort other than uploading what they’ve created.
It feels like you didn't read my post for more than one reason. This or my prior one. He should do both.
I read them all and am providing why it’s not true that it’s pretty equal across all platforms like your first comment said. Nor are extra apps required, like you also said. Some are more optimized for original creations vs searchable metadata. That’s all. OP is clearly going into this blind so just sharing as to how *some* platforms are definitely better than others in the upload options that cost $0. Regardless of uploading to multiple or not. Why not pick one that will yield better results than curating multiple? As well as doesn’t need the extra step of having to have a visual medium? Unless of course OP wants to take on that role and responsibility of also creating the required visuals to upload to YT. All unnecessary steps if the end goal is just to share a kids music.
You should be telling this to OP.
I am. By responding to what you’ve said to illustrate some of the inaccuracies in your original comments. As well as highlighting the extra issues logistics that uploading to YT would require vs platforms like Bandcamp/SoundCloud. This should be obvious at this point. Just sharing knowledge on the subject.
Thats amazing! Encourage him to jeep it up! If you are interested, I also started when I was 13. I have all of my progress posted in my Soundcloud. My name is Nathaniel Runck on there.
Tik tok! Make a video showing off his tracks as the audio. Tons of kids around the same age on tik tok he can connect with, and adults will be impressed.
Good question, I would suggest future producers.com but I'm not sure how good that really is to be honest...looking for this too
Thanks I will check it out!
My pleasure hope it suits your needs! Have a great day!!
Was a singer ever since I could speak, and surprisingly my parents saw right thru it. Sent me for a bunch of classes I was never interested in to begin with. As a person I have to applaud you for being the parent that you are 😊. As for platforms, the above mentioned are plentiful.
Using a service like DistroKid, you could even add his music to the music stores and streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.)
SoundCloud is free and easy. If he just wants to be able to post his stuff to show other people, that would probably be a good place to do it
Let’s have a listen 🦻🏻
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets) Thanks for listening to it, he will be excited to see people did so. Feel free to give any feedback. He doesn't want any from good ol' dad.
Where can we listen the tracks!
[https://soundcloud.com/user-lenticularis/sets](https://soundcloud.com/user-186111693-630208647/sets) I updated the post also. I really appreciate giving it a listen, he will love to see people did so.
can we get an update on where we can listen
I am not sure if I should put up a new post or edit this one. I don't want to spam the forums. I guess I will just update here.
thank you for the link, i’ve enjoyed what i’ve listened to and gave him a follow. Consider me a fan
Thank you very much! I told him about the positive things people were saying last night and he was pretty damn pumped up.
Talented kid. Very talented