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SoundCloud acquires Nina Protocol, the independent music platform winding down after five years
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.
In short
- SoundCloud acquires Nina Protocol as the platform winds down
- Nina's artists can migrate music, followers and content to SoundCloud
- Deal preserves Nina's editorial archive; terms undisclosed
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The acquisition salvages what would otherwise be lost entirely—an irreplaceable archive of independent artists, editorial work and community would vanish with Nina's closure. SoundCloud's commitment to migrate artists' catalogues, followers and earnings records, combined with leadership's explicit pledge to continue Nina's mission of supporting independent creators, represents the most pragmatic outcome available when a promising venture cannot sustain itself financially.
The case against
Nina Protocol was founded as a deliberate alternative to major streaming platforms, embedding independence and artist autonomy into its model. Its acquisition by SoundCloud represents the consolidation of the independent music space that Nina was created to resist. Whilst the intentions behind preservation may be sincere, the transaction eliminates a meaningful choice for artists who sought an alternative to major platforms, and SoundCloud's different commercial pressures make it uncertain whether Nina's ethos can endure.
Explained simply
Nina Protocol was a New York music platform founded in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard and Eric Farber. It combined music sales, streaming and editorial coverage, and let artists sell directly to fans while keeping all the sale proceeds.
Independent artists and labels, including ML Buch, Yung Lean, Surgeon, Warp Records and Hyperdub, used Nina. Its founders said in May that they could not find a sustainable way to fund the platform, and it began winding down.
SoundCloud is a music platform that has been expanding its services for independent creators. Nina’s archive and genre map document artists and music scenes, while the option to move music, content and followers gives Nina artists a route to continue reaching listeners.
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