Nico Perez - Mixcloud Cofounder & CEO

Top 3 Mixcloud Tips

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:58:20 +0100

Over the decade of working on Mixcloud, many people have asked me how to best use the platform.

I wanted to lay out 3 easy steps that I’ve seen work for creators over the years:

BE CONSISTENT: Whether you’re streaming live, uploading a recording, or doing both - the creators who build a loyal audience are the ones who turn up every week.

USE THE FULL STACK: Haven’t gone live yet? Learn how to get setup here. Take advantage of the fact that Mixcloud is the only platform which legally records the live stream audio, and you can choose to publish it on your channel profile after. As a bonus, if you enable our monetization program (Mixcloud Select) you can make the recordings available exclusively to your paying subscribers. This approach is working incredibly well for creators like John Digweed. Make sure to chat, comment and interact with people. The best way to build up a community is conversation!

LEARN FROM OTHERS THEN GET CREATIVE: If you follow our Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, you’ll get regular updates from other creators like Basement Tapes, Reform Radio and others on what’s working for them.

Then it’s time to get creative. You can use unlisted streaming for invite only events, introduce new creative concepts, or try out different formats like running a workshop through Mixcloud Live.

Finally, make sure to take advantage of the new Posts feature to announce upcoming gigs, live streams, merch and more to your community.

As always, if you have any questions or comments let me know!

Introducing Mixcloud Studio - streaming directly from your browser

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:13:20 +0100

If you have been keeping up with Mixcloud updates, you will have noticed that we recently rolled out the option for creators to go live directly from their browser. We’re calling this feature “Mixcloud Studio”. It’s in its beta stage now, which means there will be a few bugs (please let us know when you find them so we can squash them!) But in the future, we hope to build Studio into a powerful one-stop-shop for any DJ, producer, or musician that wants to live-stream.

Pro members can try this feature now by going to www.mixcloud.com/live/new on a desktop device.

For many of you, this might seem like a strange feature to release. After all, broadcasting software like OBS or Streamlabs is the choice for most streamers. The live streaming ecosystem from YouTube to Twitch to Facebook is built on stream keys and Real-Time Messaging Protocol (commonly shortened to ‘RTMP’), which—while clunky—works perfectly well. So if everyone else is zigging, why is Mixcloud zagging?

There are two very good reasons to add this feature.

Firstly, to simplify live streaming. And secondly, to improve it.

Using Mixcloud has historically been complex for creators, and—until now—live streaming has been no different. Using Mixcloud has required creators to master a combination of software and hardware before they touch Mixcloud’s interface. There are many things that can (and do) go wrong along the way, from sound levels to internet speeds. So, when we have an opportunity to make it easier for creators to use Mixcloud, we should take it.

But this is only the first step.

The exciting part of this feature is the possibilities that it unlocks for the future. While OBS and Streamlabs are reputable and reliable, they severely limit what we can build with live streaming. So by adding a ‘go live from browser’ alternative that Mixcloud owns, we can build new and exciting things in the future. The studio uses a different streaming technology called Web Real-Time Connection (or ‘WebRTC’ for short), which is what Google Meet and Clubhouse use. WebRTC has a near-instantaneous stream that will allow us to experiment with interesting initiatives around overlays, creator-to-creator collaboration, and creator-to-fan interaction.

Ultimately our goal is to build the best product for live-streaming music. This means building a platform that is easy to use and join, that sounds and looks great, that manages copyright on your behalf, and that has engagement features baked in.

We’re under no illusions that there is still a tonne of work to do. We hear you when you give us feedback on Mixcloud LIVE. And with Studio, we’re taking a big step into an exciting future.

The future is bright indeed.

Talk soon,

Nico

Why Mixcloud doesn’t offer on-demand video (VOD)

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 22:54:38 +0100

Hi there,

Since Mixcloud LIVE launched last year, we’ve had a regular question from users: why doesn’t Mixcloud offer VOD of live-streams? So far, we have done a poor job of explaining why we archive to audio over VODs. In fact, we’ve not really explained it at all. So here goes…

Short version:

Mixcloud does not offer VODs because there is no legal way to do so. Adding VODs would break our core principles — that we are building a safe and sustainable ecosystem for any music to be played. This is a safe and ethical alternative that ensures Creators don’t suffer takedowns and artists get paid.

Long version:

Everything Mixcloud offers is underpinned by a unique and comprehensive music copyright management system. This system gives you the freedom to play and share any music you like on Mixcloud, regardless of whether you own the copyright. It identifies, reports and pays royalties out on tens of millions of tracks, played by millions of Mixcloud creators, and owned by hundreds of thousands of different artists and songwriters.

Central to this system is a complex network of licenses from publishers, labels and other licensing organizations. These licenses are blanket (meaning they cover a whole repertoire of songs), bespoke, and have taken many years to negotiate.

Unfortunately, a blanket license for VOD does not exist.

When a song is played within a VOD, you need something called a synchronization license from whoever owns the publishing rights to that song. These licenses are not available in a blanket form. Instead, they are all negotiated on a case-by-case, song-by-song, and songwriter-by-songwriter basis. And to make matters worse, the ownership of song’s publishing rights is frequently split across many different people or organizations.

So it’s not feasible for us manually to negotiate a license for every song used in every archived live stream, this would run into the millions.

But how, you might ask, can Facebook and Amazon’s Twitch offer VODs? The answer is that Creators using these services for music face DMCA mutings, strikes, takedowns and profile deletions. Rather than catering for music creators, they specifically prohibit the use of copyrighted music in their terms and conditions, and— we believe— treat music creators as third-class users. We won’t allow the content takedown troubles that plague those platforms to ever exist on Mixcloud. Archiving live streams to on-demand audio is a safe, legal alternative.

We know that the complexities and limitations of music licensing are frustrating. We know that many of you want VODs. We know that some of you calculate the risks of using unlicensed platforms, and decide that the pros outweigh the cons. We pass no judgement on that.

But we are building a more sustainable and ethical alternative — something that’s built for music. And every day you use Mixcloud, you are helping us with that mission.

Thanks for listening,

Nico

I’m super excited to share that we’ve launched a Mixcloud LIVE,...

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 07:16:45 +0100

I’m super excited to share that we’ve launched a Mixcloud LIVE, enabling DJs, artists and audio creators to monetize live streams. Big props to my fellow Cofounder @mat.clayton and the product team for building this at hyperspeed in response to the corona crisis!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_RdPhggUhf2QkZYDmvY6-SazVurNk1iIxTelQ0/?igshid=g81mopjrv6qe

Mixcloud turns 10

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 11:42:36 +0000

We started Mixcloud to solve a simple problem: help DJs, radio stations, festivals and labels connect with listeners, fairly and easily.

A decade on from our humble roots in a warehouse in North West London, our platform has proven a powerful one for championing audio culture. We’ve seen 1.7 million creators upload over 38,073,367 handcrafted shows – DJ mixes, radio shows, and podcasts to satisfy every genre, mood, taste and scene. People from everywhere have come to listen deeply, with the average logged-in listener engaging for over an hour a day.

Support creators, support culture

Looking back at what we’ve built together, there’s plenty to celebrate. DJs who started making mixes from their bedrooms and basements have inspired people to listen for billions of minutes. Online community radio stations who champion the best contemporary talent in music have uploaded on the hour, every hour– from our own stomping ground in London to a parking lot in Brooklyn to a park in New Delhi. Superstars have taken precious time out of their weeks, for years, to dig and discover for their fans.

People from every country across the globe have connected through a shared passion for sound. From dance floors to record shops, this community is one that keeps the spirit of some of culture’s most precious artefacts alive.

We’ve done the work to keep this platform running. We’ve put licences in place to ensure the artists, songwriters and rights-holders behind the music get their fair cut of royalties.

Still, there’s a lot more work to be done to ensure audio creators can make a living from their art. By 2030, it’s projected that 70% of global music revenue will come from streaming– and still, it’s difficult for many artists to make substantial income from their streams alone.

Now more than ever, in a world that’s saturated in content and spoiled for choice, we need to support the people pushing culture forward, not just the algorithms. That’s the future we’re fighting for.

Goodbye cloud, hello M-X

The cloud has been an emblem to our community– a quick Google search will show you how it’s been used by our community, far and wide.

Today, we’re excited to introduce you to a completely new brand for Mixcloud. The time is ripe for us to part ways with the cloud and usher in a new look that better expresses the passion and vibrancy you all bring to the platform. At the core of our new brand is “the connector”, inspired by the human connections that happen here everyday, as well as a fresh color palette and bespoke typography.

From now, you’ll see our new M-X logo appear across our website, apps and channels. This is the beginning of a long-term transformation. Expect to see the new Mixcloud come to life in the next few months, as we continue to improve user experience, platform stability and our core offerings for both listeners and creators.

Coming up with this new brand has been a thoughtful, creative process. We’ve reflected deeply on what our community stands for today and what we’re building for tomorrow.

We’ve spent many hours researching and talking to you, our community. And our in-house team have collaborated with some incredible partners in the process – shout out to Studio Output and Multiple, we couldn’t have done this without you.

The result? We hope you love it as much as we do!

Thank you for listening– here’s to building the next decade of audio culture, together.

Nico, Nikhil and Mat (Mixcloud Cofounders)

Snappy snaps from 2018

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 20:26:50 +0100

Snappy snaps from 2018

"Looked at this way, life can be considered as a computation that aims to optimize the storage and..."

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 19:11:15 +0000

“Looked at this way, life can be considered as a computation that aims to optimize the storage and use of meaningful information. And life turns out to be extremely good at it.”

- https://www.wired.com/2017/02/life-death-spring-disorder/

If you’re curious what I’ve been working on at...

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 16:49:10 +0100

If you’re curious what I’ve been working on at Mixcloud recently, the news is out today in the FT.

We took our time to get it done right, and signing this partnership with Warner Music is the first step towards an exciting new phase for us.

"Looked at this way, life can be considered as a computation that aims to optimize the storage and..."

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 15:12:45 +0100

In the future, everyone will have 15min of Privacy

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 22:39:00 +0100

Word from the Smithsonian is that the original aphorism concering fame wasn’t coined by Andy Warhol.

Neverthless, it’s clear that our contemporary world of reality television and Instragram Influencers has reached, and surpassed, the original statement.

Which begs the question - are we heading towards a state where everything will be public, and privacy will be the rarest commodity.

Imagine an obscure superhero power that let you escape to privacy whenever summoned, or erase past deeds from the public memory…

Artist Damien Henry fed a single frame to a machine learning...

Thu, 11 May 2017 16:11:37 +0100

Artist Damien Henry fed a single frame to a machine learning algorithm that predicted what the next frame would be — and then let it repeat the process over and over again to create this 56-minute video for an arrangement by Steve Reich

"One need not be particularly radical to recognize the fundamental contradiction between democracy..."

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 19:46:25 +0000

“One need not be particularly radical to recognize the fundamental contradiction between democracy and capitalism, or put different between democracy and economic liberalism. As far back as Aristotle it was always the assumption that democratic polities would be ones inclined to redistribute goods. It only made sense: if power is truly distributed on a broad basis even approaching equality then surely communities would choose to at least exercise democratic control over “property” if not to just democratize it all straight away. Both fascists and neoliberals — born out of crises in capital demanding a political response — have different answers to the modern version of this classical dilemma.”

- https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-supermanagerial-reich/#!

Travels in Tuscany

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 21:49:47 +0100

Travels in Tuscany

"Of course, engagement, in one form or another, is what media businesses have always sought, and..."

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 21:03:23 +0100

“Of course, engagement, in one form or another, is what media businesses have always sought, and provocation has always sold news. But now the incentives are literalized in buttons and written into software.”

- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/magazine/inside-facebooks-totally-insane-unintentionally-gigantic-hyperpartisan-political-media-machine.html?_r=0

mixcloud: We’re hiring! We’re looking for great people to join...

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:20:57 +0100

mixcloud:

We’re hiring!
We’re looking for great people to join all areas of our business from product and brand partnerships to content and community partnerships.

Check mixcloud.com/jobs for more information.

#Mixcloud #Radio #jobs

We both arrived and left by bicycle (at Good Room)

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 19:20:07 +0100

We both arrived and left by bicycle (at Good Room)

"Like, by what standard is building gigantic forty-story-high indoor replicas of Venice, Paris, Rome,..."

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 02:23:30 +0100

“Like, by what standard is building gigantic forty-story-high indoor replicas of Venice, Paris, Rome, Egypt, and Camelot side-by-side, filled with albino tigers, in the middle of the most inhospitable desert in North America, a remotely sane use of our civilization’s limited resources?”

- http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

"Given that P&G and Unilever’s combined ad budget is larger than the global revenue of the..."

Fri, 15 Jul 2016 02:17:59 +0100

“Given that P&G and Unilever’s combined ad budget is larger than the global revenue of the recorded music industry, this means that subscription soap powder could be a much bigger deal than subscription music. What will you have to pay to be Google Assistant’s default choice of dishwasher tablets?”

- http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2016/7/6/the-facebook-of-ecommerce

"Any human with above room temperature IQ can design a utopia. The reason our current system isn’t a..."

Sat, 09 Jul 2016 16:02:47 +0100

“Any human with above room temperature IQ can design a utopia. The reason our current system isn’t a utopia is that it wasn’t designed by humans. Just as you can look at an arid terrain and determine what shape a river will one day take by assuming water will obey gravity, so you can look at a civilization and determine what shape its institutions will one day take by assuming people will obey incentives.”

- http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

"He is richest who is content with least, for contentment is the wealth of nature."

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 22:30:22 +0100

“He is richest who is content with least, for contentment is the wealth of nature.”

- Socrates (via originalgiantcontent)