‍By Eliah Seton, Chief Executive Officer, SoundCloud

At SoundCloud, we take immense pride in being an artist-first platform. In the last few years, we’ve made strides in building a creator offering that empowers artists to build and grow their careers in meaningful ways by offering progressive tools, services, and resources. 

Today, we’re taking a step to support artists in a new area: mental health and wellness. Mental health is top of mind for artists and the music industry, and for good reason. Statistics show that 73% of independent musicians struggle with mental illness (Record Union, 2019).

“For artists, mental health is of paramount importance,” states Sojabrat, a First on SoundCloud artist. “The creative process, especially in fields like music, heavily relies on being in a good headspace. To produce great music, artists need to be emotionally and mentally stable, free from the burdens of stress and anxiety. A healthy mental state can inspire creativity, enable self-expression, and fuel the artistic journey, allowing them to create the kind of music that resonates deeply with their audience. It's a delicate balance that can greatly influence the quality and impact of their work.”

The issue of mental health and wellness for artists is a personal one for me also. That’s why I’m thrilled to share that we’re partnering with Calm, a subscription-based app that provides industry-leading mental health content such as meditation, Sleep Stories, mindfulness exercises, soundscapes and more. The app features hundreds of hours of original audio content available in seven languages and supports users in more than 190 countries. Starting today, SoundCloud Next and Next Pro subscribers will be able to receive exclusive offers for Calm through our member benefits program.

This is just one way we’re working to support artists on SoundCloud more holistically. Since launching SoundCloud for Artists in 2022, we’ve introduced a range of updates including the new Fans tool for artists, direct messages on mobile, a new Comments tool, a global licensing deal with Merlin, and a member benefits expansion. You can learn more about our partnership with Calm and our member benefits offering here.