Mixcloud is proving to be way more than a music hosting site for DJ mixes. It’s an essential tool that successful DJs rely on to grow their audiences and promote themselves to those all-important industry pros!

Since launching in 2008, Mixcloud has put DJs front and centre and provides an ever-growing list of tools for success. 

Now, subscribers all over the globe are reaping the many benefits of Mixcloud to raise their profiles and secure the gigs that they want. 

In this article, we explore how Mixcloud’s key features can help elevate your DJ career with some inspirational success stories from members who used Mixcloud Pro to secure huge audience numbers!

The World’s Best DJ mix hosting site

Unlike any other music hosting platform, Mixcloud is a custom-built platform designed primarily for DJs.

With a unique understanding of what DJs need, the site was born to host the long-form content that was difficult to upload to other sites that showcase the work of musicians rather than full DJ sets.

The Mixcloud team clearly knows what it takes to become a successful DJ and have spent years building some essential analytical tools that can help progress any DJ’s growth.

No matter what genres you play, or what style you bring, Mixcloud provides the perfect platform to host your DJ mixes and showcase your work to other industry professionals.

The Mixcloud story so far…

Mixcloud was founded in 2008 as a startup by DJ enthusiasts Nikhil Shah and Nico Perez. The concept grew quickly, and only four years after launching, Mixcloud was reported to have over 3 million active users, more than 500,000 registered Facebook app users, and 1 million users downloaded their iOS app in 2013 alone!

Mixcloud later signed a direct licensing agreement with Warner Music, becoming a safe space for DJs mixes without fear of copyright strikes or takedowns as Warner’s featured artists were being credited and paid royalties.

In 2018, Mixcloud announced the fan-to-creator subscription allowing subscribers to support their favourite artists and contribute to the licensing cost of the music played in their shows. 

In order for Mixcloud to remain legally compliant with music copyright laws, the platform is licensed to only provide audio through streaming. This way each play can be accurately counted so the correct amount of royalties are paid. 

This means Mixcloud users must upload audio with detailed artist and song metadata to preserve intellectual property rights. A small price to pay for a safe haven that preserves the integrity and effort that DJs and artists put into producing their work!

Mixcloud’s tools for success

Mixcloud has grown to become the ultimate place for DJs, musicians, promoters, agents and other industry professionals to come and check out DJ talent. 

Its comprehensive features offer DJs everything they need to build a successful career around engaging with their audience. 

We recommend the following Mixcloud Pro tools to our Crossfader students and the online DJ community for levelling up your DJ game!

These Mixcloud features can help you gain a larger following, resulting in more gigs. If you want to learn more about maximising your chances of securing work in the DJ industry, check out this article on How to get more DJ gigs!

Use Mixcloud Stats to improve your content 

Mixcloud stats give DJs access to audience interaction and demographic data, making it easier than ever to maximise listener engagement and reach. 

If you understand your audience, you can tailor your content to maximize their interest in your work. 

This can result in more listeners and more attention on you as a DJ. Think of your audience numbers as currency used to leverage more gigs through more exposure to industry professionals. The more listeners you have the more attention you are likely to get!   

For all you need to know, check out this Guide to Mixcloud stats.

Get paid directly on Mixcloud with Monetization 

Creator subscriptions are a way for DJs to get paid directly by their listeners if they offer them exclusive material that unlocks with a subscription. 

This feature may not be suitable for DJs with little to no following as it can be off-putting to potential new listeners but it is great for established DJs with a fanbase.

For top tips on monetization, follow this guide on How to make money on Mixcloud.

Build a following with Live streams

One of the most effective ways to secure new listeners and build a fanbase is with consistent live streams. Mixcloud is great for live streaming and hosts thousands of weekly shows. 

With a clean, simple interface, audiences can tune in and interact with you live, giving you real-time feedback and greater engagement with your listeners.

For more on live streaming with Mixcloud, follow the link here.

Store all of your mixes with Unlimited uploads

Mixcloud’s no copyright strikes or takedowns promise guarantees peace of mind for your DJ mixes and mix archive. Upload all you want, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be taken down due to copyright strikes a few years down the road!

Mixcloud pays royalties to the rights owners of all the audio used on the site and is the reason many big DJs have chosen the platform as their main storage for archived DJ mixes. 

Learn how to take advantage of unlimited uploads here.

Get a wider audience reach with Host tagging

This feature encourages DJs to help one another out, something the Crossfader community is all about! 

When tagged as a guest in another DJ’s show or mix, you will show up in search results for that particular show or mix. This is really awesome for quickly gaining access to a whole new audience. Just don’t forget to repay the favour when you get the chance!

Learn how to become part of a successful DJ community with Mixcloud’s full guide on host tagging and consider joining our own Crossfader Discord Server to join a supportive and inclusive global community of DJs and professionals.

Mixcloud success stories 

Since 2008, Mixcloud has given countless DJs a platform to drive their success. It is now recognised universally in the industry as the DJs’ resume, with virtually every type of DJ on there.

Everyone from chart superstars like Calvin Harris and David Guetta to the DMC world champions have a profile and enjoy the benefits of Mixcloud’s global audience. 

No matter what level you’re at, Mixcloud is useful to all DJs from beginners starting out, to professional club, festival as well as corporate and wedding DJs. 

Below we explore three completely different ways that DJs have used Mixcloud Pro’s awesome tools to leverage success and make it big on the platform!

Pound and Yam

Hailing from East London, Pound and Yam is a Mixcloud station that started in 2020. The station hosts a unique visual DJ show, live-streamed every Sunday, which Pound and Yam co-founder, Michael Olajide, says is influenced by Adult Swim’s off-beat cartoons and other popular DJ live-streams, such as Boiler Room.  

As an online DJ school, Crossfader always encourages students to embrace their uniqueness. This is what will help them stand out from the crowd and achieve maximum success in their careers. 

Pound and Yam’s quirky visuals make their hosted DJ sets a truly unique experience.

The live-streaming feature has helped the London quartet kill it with their audience reach, as fans enjoy jamming live with their hosted DJ sets. A brilliant example of thinking outside of the box to grab a wider reach of listeners and fans!

Their creative use of lively visuals, with the help of a green screen, has made Pound and Yam’s Mixcloud station, which includes past streamed mixes, a self-proclaimed TV channel that has attracted a global audience.

Livestream interaction has been a crucial tool for the channel’s success with a regular Sunday show on Mixcloud.

Olajide’s number one piece of advice to creators is that consistency and structure are crucial for building an audience. 

The Pound and Yam ‘TV channel’ is only possible on a platform with staying power like Mixcloud. With the guarantee of no mix takedowns and unlimited mix uploads, their archived shows can be showcased and accessed by listeners, new and old, for as long as they want.

This channel is a great example of what Mixcloud Pro can do for DJs coupled with positive thinking and ambition to succeed.

Check out these top tips on Live streaming with Mixcloud for more on how to take advantage of this awesome feature.

The Pine Walk Collection

The Pine Walk Collection is another unique Mixcloud station that hosts a vast series of digitally restored Disco, House and Euro Dance DJ mix tapes, all originally recorded by New York City and Fire Island’s prominent gay club DJs for house parties and after-hours listening during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. 

400+ tapes were found accidentally during a renovation in Fire Island, New York, where the finders reached out to DJ Joe D’Esponisa for his expertise in restoring the collection so it could be shared with a brand new global audience via Mixcloud.

This project has resonated with both older and younger listeners who may be hearing the era’s music for the first time.

D’Esponisa has expressed that the platform was chosen specifically for its artist-friendly policies and royalties payments and future plans include restoring and adding more tapes, releasing the content as podcasts.

Mixcloud is the perfect host for The Pine Walk Collection, thanks to its unlimited upload policy and no take-down guarantee. D’Esponisa says all the DJs who contributed mixes to the series and are still alive have given their full consent and are really supportive of the project.

Any DJs still active and on Mixcloud have also been host tagged, meaning their Mixcloud stations benefit from all of the exposure garnered by the Pine Walk Collection as listeners of the tapes will be exposed to the contributing DJs’ individual stations as suggested listening.

If anything, the attention the collection has received and continues to receive proves that audiences connect deeply with projects that are made of passion and delivered with love.

Mike Marrone

Marrone is a well-seasoned DJ who turned to Mixcloud to maximise his chances of success and maintain a career spinning the music that he loves after years of mainstream broadcasting.

His Mixcloud shows are diverse, featuring a wide range of mostly live band genres. He even incorporates soundbites from TV and movies to enhance the listener experience, making each show a unique listening experience.

In 2018, Marrone activated the Creator Subscriptions feature and found that the funds he is paid are enough to sustain his show which brings his listeners new music to love and enjoy.

He charges the minimum subscription fee of $2.99, but many fans opt to pay more to support his work.

Revenue from his subscribers is mainly reinvested in purchasing more music, primarily through platforms like Bandcamp that support artists in a direct way.

To supplement his shows, Marrone maintains a personal blog where he provides detailed write-ups, playlists, and links to his Mixcloud shows.

Marrone emphasizes creating content from the heart and engaging with listeners in a genuine way. His loyal subscriber base has remained consistent, with many following him from his satellite radio days.

His advice to creators is to be authentic above chasing quick money in order to see long-term gains. Marrone’s shows are all under three hours long to maximize listener interaction, and he is approachable and responsive to listener inquiries. The focus of his shows is on passion and genuine content creation.

Although his listener base continues to grow, he does not actively seek to expand his subscriber base, thanking word of mouth for any expansion. Marrone’s goal is to continue creating engaging music sets and introducing new music to his audience.

Use Mixcloud to take your DJ career to the next level!

In our recent Off The Record podcast, we talked about how the DJ industry is quickly and drastically changing and to become successful, DJs need to be more creative than ever with how they reach their audiences and pick up gigs. 

Getting yourself online and in front of a global audience is the best way to start doing this. Start small, upload mixes you’ve made to Mixcloud and see what resonates with listeners. 

Then look at what is getting attention and start putting out tailored mixes once you begin getting the insight from Mixloud’s stats.

But starting is the all-important key! No matter what level you’re at, it’s never too soon to start your Mixcloud account and begin your DJ journey.

And if you’re serious about making it in the DJ industry and levelling up your DJ skills, our Crossfader Complete DJ Package can help get you where you want to be, fast!