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One of the best ways to gain new followers and grow your fan base across SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube is through the use of whats known as “Download Gates” or “Fan Gates." Much of the artists and labels today can credit these tools for the accumulation of their large fan bases. In this article, we’re going to dive into some of these download gates, their features and how you can set them up on your own music to jump start your track engagement.
Download gates are standalone websites offering tools that prompt listeners to take some sort of action (follow, like, comment or repost) before they are granted access to a free download of your song. Eric Andre yelling 'Let me In' is probably the best way to sum this up. This is a way for your fans to get access to some type of content in return for some part of their data (i.e email, follow on SoundCloud, etc). This has been a game changer in the music streaming industry as artists rely heavily on engagement to effectively market their music. Let’s dive into some of the best download gate services and explore their features.
One of the most popular download gates currently being used is The Artist Union due to the fact that the service is completely free and they offer artists the opportunity for discovery and further exposure.
Key Features
ToneDen offers its users a ton of analytic and marketing tools to ensure artists make the most out of capturing and engaging new fans. A lot of people like to use ToneDen because of their slick interface and landing pages.
Key Features
One of the most diverse services out there and also one of our personal favorite Fan Gate providers. PUMPYOURSOUND has all the tools you need as an artist to effectively promote your music, network, and build your social following. With so many features in one place at a free cost, it’s a no-brainer that most people resort to this convenient service for their promotional needs.
Key Features
These standalone websites make it very easy to set up a download gate on your music. The service will usually prompt you to connect your SoundCloud account to its network, which will automatically sync the information it requires to allow you to plug a gate over your tracks. You will then be presented with all action settings that you wish for your fan gate to execute. From there, you will be guided to which links to copy and where exactly to paste them. The whole process can take as little as 5 minutes. They couldn’t have made it easier.
When it comes to effective music promotion, download gates are a must-have tool that can have a massive impact on your music brand. You will yield the best results by testing different gate settings and making note of what’s helping you grow the fastest. One of the most effective settings that we have noticed when we grew our SoundCloud pages collectively to over 150,000 active followers is a simple “Follow & Repost” action. This ensured that captured the fan and simultaneously received their support. Not only did this lead to creating a bigger following, but we also received 30% more streams on our music because of the repost support. We also found that stacking too many download gate actions can discourage the listener from completing all of them, resulting in losing their support entirely. With shortening attention spans, less is more, so try to keep the fan gate settings as simple and effective as possible.
For more tips and fan growth strategies, be sure to check out this article onHow To Get More Followers On SoundCloud. Until then, happy growth!
