Mixcloud is a British online music

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

service that allows for the listening and distribution of radio shows,

DJ mix A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically beatmixing, mixed together by a Disc jockey, DJ to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as Phonograph, tur ...

es and

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

s, which are crowdsourced by its registered users. In April 2018, Mixcloud announced that it raised $11.5 million from WndrCo LLC, a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

based in Los Angeles and San Francisco that invests in media and technology businesses for the long term. The financing will fund Mixcloud's expansion globally.

History

Mixcloud was founded as a

startup company A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...

through the

lean startup Lean startup is a methodology for developing businesses and products that aims to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable; this is achieved by adopting a combination of business-hypothesis-dr ...

process in 2008 by Nikhil Shah and Nico Perez, who met at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Developers Mat Clayton and Sam Cooke were added to the team in its early stages. As of 2012, Mixcloud was reported to have over 3 million active users and over 500,000 registered

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

application users. In October 2017, Mixcloud signed direct licensing agreement with Warner Music.

Features

Mixcloud allows all users to browse and stream audio content uploaded on its site. Registered users can upload content such as radio shows, DJ mixes and

s, as well as promote and distribute their content through Mixcloud's own

social networking A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

widget. As of November 2011, Mixcloud lifted its 100-megabyte limit on uploaded content and allows uploads of 500 megabytes. Registered members may join a group, a collection of other users who share a common interest, which will periodically update the user when new content related to the group is available. Mixcloud also provides an

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

which users can search, upload and embed its content. Users may also share podcasts and mixes via Facebook or

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

. Mobile apps are available for both Android and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

. In December 2018, Mixcloud announced a new form of subscription called "fan-to-creator". Thanks to this feature subscribers can support a favourite artist directly and contribute to the licensing cost of the music played in the shows. This innovation is an attempt by the company to find a new ways of funding.

Legality

Mixcloud prohibits its users from downloading audio content from its website for licensing reasons. Co-founder Nikhil Shah commented on this restriction: "Not offering downloads has been a challenge for us in terms of persuading the content creators to use a platform like ours." He also compared Mixcloud to the model of its competitor

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

: "So it's very similar to the Spotify model. Spotify's competitor is illegal downloading and they are trying to cannibalise illegal downloading by offering a streaming-only and superior alternative." According to Mixcloud's main website, the platform is licensed only to provide its audio content through streaming, such that royalties are attributed to their respective artists. Mixcloud also requires its users to attribute their audio uploads with correct Artist and Song

metadata Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive ...

in order to preserve

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

rights.

References

{{Music digital distribution platforms Internet properties established in 2008 Online music and lyrics databases DJ mixes Music streaming services British music websites 2008 establishments in England

History

Features

Legality

See also

Similar services

References