SoundCloud has acquired Nina Protocol, the independent Web3-based music platform that announced its shutdown, according to a corporate press release. The agreement allows SoundCloud to inherit Nina Protocol’s genre map, editorial archive, and music catalogues if artists choose to opt into SoundCloud’s creator ecosystem.
Founded in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber, Nina Protocol operated on the Solana blockchain as a streaming service and music marketplace. The platform enabled artists to upload music directly to listeners while retaining complete ownership and sales revenue. Notable independent musicians including Yung Lean, Ana Roxanne, Purelink, Aya, James K, and ML Buch distributed records through the service, alongside prominent record labels such as Warp, Hyperdub, AD 93, and Stroom.
SoundCloud Integration and Artist Benefits
Musicians transferring from Nina Protocol to SoundCloud gain access to tools for distribution, audience growth, direct fan monetization, and streaming revenue, according to company statements. SoundCloud is encouraging former Nina Protocol artists to join by highlighting three primary features: direct-to-fan music sales that allow artists to keep 100% of their royalties, community-building tools like direct messages, comments, and public playlists, and production utilities that include mastering, promotion, and unlimited uploads.
“Nina has always been about empowering independent artists and documenting the communities that drive music forward,” said Mike Pollard, Nina Protocol’s CEO and co-founder, in a press release. “SoundCloud built that foundation: without SoundCloud, there wouldn’t be Nina. As we considered the future of the platform, we wanted to ensure our artists and editorial work found a home that shared and actively practiced those values. SoundCloud was the natural choice.”
Platform History and Industry Context
According to the report, roughly $50,000 was spent on the platform throughout its entire lifetime, and about 77% of its nearly 37,000 listings went uncollected by buyers. Pitchfork reached out to SoundCloud representatives for comment regarding the metrics cited in the report.
Last year, SoundCloud updated its terms of use and AI policy following public backlash over ambiguous wording that implied uploaded content might serve as training data for generative artificial intelligence models. SoundCloud Chief Executive Eliah Seton addressed the concerns in an open letter, promising that artist content would remain unaffected and would not be used to train generative AI, emphasizing that technology should support artists rather than replace them.
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