Audius joins SoundCloud in offering free artist to fan direct messages

Decentralized music platform Audius has added a direct messaging feature that enables artists to connect with each other and their fans via text and emoji reactions.

Audius has also created a real incentive for fans to tip with a gated option that only enables messaging with fans who have tipped the artist.

Fans can also message other fans.

Most music platforms do not offer artists direct communication with fans. The exceptions are SoundCloud which recently added its version of artist/fan DMs, and Bandsintown For Artists, which has offered unfiltered one-to-many communications to the artist’s followers for years.

All three platforms provide direct-to-fan messaging free of charge.

“Audius is all about forging deeper connections between artists and their fans, so giving our users the ability to chat with each other on platform is a hugely important step in our mission,” said Forrest Browning, Audius Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer. “And with direct messaging paired with tipping features, it’s possible for fans to support their favorite artists in a very real way.”

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.