Mixcloud is expanding into short-form audio by allowing users to upload original tracks.
Users can now upload a short-form audio file–between 30 seconds and 15 minutes–via the ‘Create’ button. Tracks now reside under their own tab on the Mixcloud creator channel. They’re separate from any live streams or long-form audio content like podcasts.
Mixcloud has music licenses in place and its monetization program pays 83% of revenue to rights holders and channel owners. Mixcloud could offer artists the ability to be paid directly for plays on individual tracks. These tracks must be completely original, though–they cannot be mashups, remixes, or bootleg edits.
The Mixcloud Tracks feature is currently in beta, and the team is seeking feedback. You can upload three tracks for free before you need a Mixcloud Pro subscription. The new feature seems aimed directly at SoundCloud, which has partnered with Twitch for its live-streaming offering.
Mixcloud is pretty thorough in making sure people are only uploading music to which they own the rights. During the upload process, artists are asked to agree to the Terms of Use for each track they upload. This includes indicating whether the uploader is a member of a performing rights organization (PRO) or not. Mixcloud Pro users can choose when to publish a track and to whom it is visible–these settings are not available on the basic membership.
Mixcloud CEO Nico Perez says the addition of Tracks makes the platform the only one that offers “live-streaming, long-form audio, and short-form tracks as well.” Most competitors like SoundCloud and Twitch specialize in one or the other. It will be interesting to see how royalties work for individual tracks on Mixcloud–since it has primarily catered to long-form content licensing in the past.
DJ sets, radio shows, podcasts, and more long-form content on Mixcloud have a blanket-licensing model in place. This licensing model ensures royalties are paid for the music used in the long-form content–but licensing for short-form content is vastly different.