SoundCloud has acquired Nina Protocol, the decentralized music platform that helped independent artists sell directly to fans while keeping full control of their earnings. The move marks SoundCloud's latest step toward becoming a broader creative ecosystem for emerging musicians.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, and it remains unclear whether Nina's team will join SoundCloud. Still, the acquisition brings valuable assets into SoundCloud's hands, including Nina's editorial archive and its genre map, both of which were designed to spotlight music journalism, artist profiles, and cultural commentary.
Founded in 2021 by musicians Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber, Nina Protocol was built on the Solana blockchain and used Arweave for decentralized storage. Its model gave artists a direct digital storefront and a more independent route to audience-building and monetization.
SoundCloud says Nina artists will be able to migrate their work through a dedicated transfer tool. They will also receive a complimentary SoundCloud Artist subscription through the end of the year, unlocking monetization features and growth tools designed to support long-term careers.
The acquisition follows SoundCloud's earlier 2022 purchase of Musiio and reflects a steady push beyond music hosting into discovery, curation, and creator support. In the future, this kind of platform integration could reshape how independent music is distributed, discovered, and sustained.
