SoundCloud has acquired Nina Protocol, a decentralized music platform that supported independent artists by allowing them to sell music directly to fans while retaining 100% of revenue. This purchase marks SoundCloud’s first acquisition since its 2022 acquisition of AI music discovery company Musiio. While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the acquisition highlights SoundCloud’s goal to broaden its offerings beyond hosting toward becoming a more comprehensive platform for independent musicians.

Nina Protocol, founded in 2021 by musicians Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber, was built on the Solana blockchain to enable fast, low-cost music transactions and used Arweave for permanent decentralized storage of music and metadata. Despite its innovative approach, Nina announced in May 2026 that it would shut down after failing to establish a sustainable business model. Through the acquisition, SoundCloud will take ownership of Nina’s editorial archive and unique genre map, preserving Nina’s music journalism, artist features, and cultural commentary.

SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton emphasized the company’s commitment to honoring Nina Protocol’s mission by helping independent artists deepen their connection with fans, unlock new monetization paths, and access tools to support sustainable careers. To assist Nina’s former artists, SoundCloud is offering a migration tool to transfer their work onto its platform and is providing a complimentary SoundCloud Artist subscription through the end of 2026, which includes monetization and audience growth capabilities.

This acquisition fits into SoundCloud’s strategy to expand the resources available for independent musicians, enhancing music discovery and artist empowerment on its platform. By integrating Nina’s technology and editorial content, SoundCloud aims to amplify the reach of emerging artists and diverse music scenes, continuing its evolution into a more robust, artist-first ecosystem in the competitive digital music landscape.