As Nina Protocol shuts down, the platform’s artists and editorial content are moving to SoundCloud under a newly announced acquisition deal.Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 Founded by Mike Pollard, Nina earned a loyal following among underground musicians by letting artists sell tracks directly to fans while keeping control over pricing and ownership.
Its editorial team also built a sterling reputation for covering niche scenes.As part of the acquisition, Nina artists can choose to move their catalogs, followers and other content to SoundCloud through what the company called a “streamlined migration process.” SoundCloud is also taking on Nina’s editorial archive and genre map, according to a blog post published by the company today.
The acquisition reflects a familiar trend in the music industry: smaller platforms built around artist empowerment struggling to survive independently and eventually getting absorbed by major players.Look no further than the artist-centric darling Bandcamp, which was swallowed up by Epic Games in 2022 before being sold to Songtradr a year later following Epic’s restructuring of the platform.
The deal also magnifies a push by SoundCloud to win over independent musicians.Over the past 12 months, the company has introduced fan-powered monetization features, expanded its distribution services and added merchandising tools, all aimed at helping artists sustain their careers outside the traditional label system.
“We know the future of music will live on global scaled platforms that connect artists and fans directly.That’s SoundCloud,” CEO Eliah Seton told EDM.com in an October interview.
“That’s what the founders built, and it’s more true today than ever.The market has come to us.” Pollard said his team wanted to find a home for Nina’s artists and editorial legacy that would actually honor what the platform had built.
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