Mixcloud celebrates 10th year with new brand identity
18 February 2020 - Press releaseMixcloud is 10. To mark the occasion, the audio streaming platform is launching an all-new brand identity, and announcing its mission for the next decade: to get more fans directly supporting the creators and cultures they care about.
Making waves in audio culture
Mixcloud, the global community for audio culture, is a leading streaming platform used by tens of millions of creators and listeners worldwide. It is home to a unique catalogue of 50 million handcrafted radio shows, DJ mixes and podcasts that span every genre, taste and scene. Fans typically come to Mixcloud to listen deeply to specific creator channels they love, with the average listener engaging for over an hour a day.
Mixcloud led the way in paying artists, songwriters and rights-holders royalties from DJ mixes and radio shows, using their unique licensing model and content ID system. Now celebrating their 10th birthday and a fresh brand identity, the company lays out their vision for a more sustainable future for online music.
“We started Mixcloud to solve a simple problem: to help DJs, radio stations, festivals and labels connect with listeners, fairly and legally. Our purpose has always been to amplify culture and community. A decade on, we believe streaming platforms can do much more to help creators make a living from their work. We’re heading into 2020 with a refreshed brand and a refined mission: to supercharge the relationship between audio creators and their biggest fans, so that they can keep creating, distributing and amplifying their art sustainably,” says Nico Perez, Co-founder at Mixcloud.
In December 2018, following announcements about unique licencing deals with all the majors, Mixcloud launched Select, a direct fan-to-creator membership model that recognized long-form audio creators (DJs, online radio stations and podcasters) as part of the online revenue mix for the first time. Thousands of creators are now using the service to build their own “next generation fan clubs”, offering their subscribers exclusive content and other tailored benefits.
Beyond the algorithm, human to human
“Platforms like Patreon, Twitch and Kickstarter have paved the way for a creator-centric, fan-funded approach to online culture. We’ve taken a major step in their direction, and away from the algorithm-heavy streaming services,” says Nikhil Shah, Co-founder at Mixcloud.
The company’s new “Creator-first policy” explains this model transparently: “We offer everyone the ability to upload unlimited audio and listen for free, supported by ads. We also make sure that the artists, songwriters and rights-holders played in the shows receive their fair royalties (…) By subscribing to Mixcloud Premium, you help us keep up with the costs of running this platform for the long run. By supporting a creator channel through Mixcloud Select, a direct cut goes to that channel's creator.”
“A year on from launching Select, it’s great to see it grow from a disruptive idea in the music industry to a subscription service that’s generating hundreds of thousands in revenue a year for artists and creators, and counting– funded directly from fans who want to support the culture,” says Shah.
In January this year Mixcloud also unveiled their own in-house brand consultancy LOUD, further diversifying the company’s business model through working with global brands to achieve cultural resonance.
More connections through visual identity
Perez continues: “With this major step change for us as a company, it’s perfect timing for us to move on from our cloud logo. We’re excited to introduce our community to an entirely new brand that better represents the passion and vibrancy they bring to the platform everyday.”
Mixcloud’s new brand identity, designed in collaboration with digital-first design agency Studio Output.
Johanna Drewe, Creative Director at Studio Output, explains: “At the heart of the brand is ‘the connector’. Its form reflects the fluidity of cultures and countercultures, whilst its purpose is to unite. It amplifies communities online and offline, constantly restless and moving through imagery, connecting genres and topics and experiences.”
This fluid movement runs through the typography - a bespoke typeface for Mixcloud.A vibrant colour scheme marks a radical departure from the previous blue and white.
The new brand is introduced today across Mixcloud’s apps, website and social media channels, and will be rolled out across the product experience this year.
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