What happens to SoundCloud accounts when the owner dies
SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies
SoundCloud Help Center (AI agent; escalates to a support specialist)
SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG, Karl-Marx-Strasse 101, 12043 Berlin, Germany
SoundCloud Legal (Deceased Community Member Requests)
Estate requests go by email to legal@soundcloud.com; SoundCloud says it "will respond to you as soon as possible" and publishes no processing time. Artist subscriptions: distributed and monetized content is taken down and demonetized 30 days after the subscription ends. Earnings: on-platform earnings for each calendar month are paid within 45 days and off-platform revenue within 60 days after SoundCloud Monetization receives it; the help centre describes a two-month reporting delay with payments typically on the last business day of the month; balances under $25 USD roll over; statements become final 2 years after issue unless objected to in writing. Listener subscriptions run to the end of the paid period. Personal data is retained for 3 years following the end of the year the contract was cancelled.
SoundCloud's Account Ownership Policies state: "Only verified, immediate family members or those authorized to act on behalf of the deceased's estate can gain access to the account of that SoundCloud community member. After a number of verification questions, we can - lock or delete the account, or transfer ownership, depending on your wishes." The deceased-member article adds: "Due to legal restrictions, we can only pass access over to immediate family members, or those authorized to act on behalf of the estate," and directs requests to legal@soundcloud.com. The Terms of Use (Last Amended August 17, 2026) contain no death or estate provision. They prohibit transferring an account without consent ("You must not sell or transfer, or offer to sell or transfer, any SoundCloud account to any third party without the prior written approval of SoundCloud") and state that once an account is terminated, "any and all Content residing in your account ... will be irretrievably deleted by SoundCloud," subject to legally required or permitted retention. The account-ownership article also states that the only means SoundCloud has of verifying ownership is the email address used to create the account. Earnings are governed separately by the SoundCloud Monetization Terms of Service (Last Updated October 31, 2025), which prohibit assigning those terms "whether by operation of law or otherwise" without SoundCloud Monetization's prior written consent and provide for a final statement of amounts due after the monetization term ends.
How to request a transfer
Follow these steps to initiate a transfer of SoundCloud accounts after the account holder's death:
- •The display name or profile URL of the deceased user's account
- •Your email address
- •A copy of your photo ID
- •A copy of the deceased user's death certificate
- •A link to an online obituary (optional)
- •Which outcome you want: lock the account, transfer ownership, or delete it
Required Documents
- Display name or profile URL of the deceased user's SoundCloud account
- Requester's email address
- Copy of the requester's photo ID
- Copy of the deceased user's death certificate
- Link to an online obituary (optional)
Timeline
Estate requests go by email to legal@soundcloud.com; SoundCloud says it "will respond to you as soon as possible" and publishes no processing time. Artist subscriptions: distributed and monetized content is taken down and demonetized 30 days after the subscription ends. Earnings: on-platform earnings for each calendar month are paid within 45 days and off-platform revenue within 60 days after SoundCloud Monetization receives it; the help centre describes a two-month reporting delay with payments typically on the last business day of the month; balances under $25 USD roll over; statements become final 2 years after issue unless objected to in writing. Listener subscriptions run to the end of the paid period. Personal data is retained for 3 years following the end of the year the contract was cancelled.
Frequently asked questions
The tracks stay on SoundCloud while the account exists. If the account is deleted or terminated, the Terms of Use state that its content is irretrievably deleted. A verified family member or estate representative can ask SoundCloud to lock the account, which keeps the catalogue in place, or to transfer ownership. If the creator had an Artist or Artist Pro subscription, distributed and monetized tracks are taken down and demonetized 30 days after that subscription ends.
SoundCloud can do it at its discretion. Its Account Ownership Policies state that verified immediate family members or those authorized to act for the estate can gain access, and that after verification questions SoundCloud can lock or delete the account, or transfer ownership. The Terms of Use otherwise prohibit transferring an account without SoundCloud's prior written approval. Requests go to legal@soundcloud.com with the profile URL, your email, your photo ID, and the death certificate.
SoundCloud Monetization holds them until they are paid out. It pays each month's on-platform earnings within 45 days and outside-distribution revenue within 60 days after receiving it, to the payout method the artist designated. Balances under $25 USD roll over to the next month, and after the monetization term ends SoundCloud Monetization issues a final statement of amounts due. The Monetization Terms contain no forfeiture of earnings on death. Ask SoundCloud, in the deceased-member request, how the balance will be released to the estate. Since November 2025 artists keep 100% of royalties, less a payout processing fee of $0.50 to $25 USD depending on the payout method.
SoundCloud has no memorialization feature. Its options for a deceased member are to lock the account, delete it, or transfer ownership, after verification questions. Locking keeps the profile and tracks in place.
SoundCloud subscriptions renew automatically and cannot be paused, and SoundCloud does not refund subscription periods already delivered. A subscription bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play is cancelled with Apple or Google. For a subscription bought on the web, ask SoundCloud's legal team to cancel it as part of the deceased-member request, or ask the card issuer to stop the recurring charge. Do not sign in with the decedent's password to cancel it.
Email legal@soundcloud.com with the display name or profile URL of the account, your email address, a copy of your photo ID, and a copy of the death certificate. A link to an online obituary is optional. Only verified immediate family members or those authorized to act for the estate can request action, and SoundCloud says it will respond as soon as possible.
SoundCloud publishes no estate export. The Terms of Use state it cannot provide a .csv or similar file of account activity data, before or after termination. Tracks the creator made downloadable can be downloaded on the web by any signed-in user. For the rest, the estate relies on the creator's own copies, or on keeping the account locked or transferred so the catalogue is not deleted.
No. Deletion removes the uploaded sounds and their usage data, which may not be recoverable, and ends any earnings. The executor can first secure copies of the audio, ask SoundCloud to lock the account, and ask how any unpaid earnings will be released, then decide between transfer and deletion.
After the transfer is complete, the recipient can use the accounts according to the program's standard terms. Document the deceased account holder's details to make this process easier for your executor or family.
Sources
Data sourced from SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
SoundCloud Help Center (AI agent; escalates to a support specialist)
SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG, Karl-Marx-Strasse 101, 12043 Berlin, Germany
SoundCloud Legal (Deceased Community Member Requests)
Estate requests go by email to legal@soundcloud.com; SoundCloud says it "will respond to you as soon as possible" and publishes no processing time. Artist subscriptions: distributed and monetized content is taken down and demonetized 30 days after the subscription ends. Earnings: on-platform earnings for each calendar month are paid within 45 days and off-platform revenue within 60 days after SoundCloud Monetization receives it; the help centre describes a two-month reporting delay with payments typically on the last business day of the month; balances under $25 USD roll over; statements become final 2 years after issue unless objected to in writing. Listener subscriptions run to the end of the paid period. Personal data is retained for 3 years following the end of the year the contract was cancelled.
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