SoundCloud has acquired Nina Protocol, an independent music platform that was shutting down after five years, in a deal announced on Wednesday 22 July. The acquisition gives SoundCloud Nina's editorial archive and "genre map," and allows Nina's artists to migrate their music, content and followers over to SoundCloud, with financial terms not disclosed. The move matters because it preserves an archive of independent artists and scenes that might otherwise have disappeared, while extending SoundCloud's recent push to strengthen its offering for independent creators.

Nina Protocol, founded in New York in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard and Eric Farber, operated as a blockchain-based marketplace, streaming service and editorial site that let artists sell music directly to fans and keep 100% of sales, positioning itself as an alternative to major streaming platforms in the mould of Bandcamp. Artists such as ML Buch, Yung Lean and Surgeon, and labels including Warp Records and Hyperdub, released music through the platform. Nina announced its wind-down in late May, citing an inability to find a sustainable revenue strategy, and its site went fully offline the same day the SoundCloud deal was revealed; SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton and Nina co-founder Mike Pollard both framed the acquisition as continuing Nina's mission of supporting independent artists.