Mixcloud operates a fair and legal streaming service in support of artists. As per the Mixcloud Terms of Use, we reserve the right to remove any content that is in breach of the rules laid out by our agreements.
Uploads on Mixcloud are split into two categories: tracks and shows. Any uploaded content that is over 30 seconds and under 15 minutes in length will be displayed as a track. Any content over 15 minutes will be displayed as a show.
From December 1st 2022 we introduced publishing limits. On our basic tier you can have a maximum of up to 10 shows and 5 tracks displayed publicly at any one time. Any further shows or tracks uploaded to your account will remain in your drafts. Please note that if you are on the basic tier then an unlisted/private show counts towards your maximum published show allowance, but you can have as many drafts as you want. For more information about our publishing limits, see here.
To upload without limits, you can subscribe to Pro here. The Pro subscription includes all of our creator features including live-streaming, stats, monetisation, unlimited show and track uploads and more.
Mixcloud Shows
When uploading a Mixcloud show, we accept almost all types of audio content over 15 minutes in length, including: talk and music radio shows; DJ sets and podcasts. The exception being full albums, which we are unable to host on Mixcloud. Please make sure that your upload is formatted as a WAV, AIFF, FLAC or AAC, OGG, M4A, MP2, MP3 or WMA.
As a user-generated internet music platform, Mixcloud has a comprehensive licensing framework with rightsholders globally, including licenses with record labels, publishers, collecting societies and more. This allows creators to upload shows with licensed music and we will pay royalties to those rightsholders, who in turn distribute them to artists.
When uploading to Mixcloud, please be aware that there are a few rules that govern the playback experience for your listeners. Keeping in line with these will make sure that your shows can be listened to by all of our users.
Please make sure that your shows only contain:
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Maximum 3 songs from one album (and no more than 2 consecutively)
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Maximum 4 songs from one recording artist (and no more than 3 consecutively)
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Maximum 4 songs from one compilation (and no more than 3 consecutively)
Shows that go past these maximums will be restricted for some or all listeners. For more information about why these restrictions are in place, see our article about SRPC restrictions here.
Mixcloud Tracks
We accept original tracks that are over 30 seconds long and under 15 minutes long. To upload a track you must agree to Mixcloud’s terms and conditions, and warrant that you are the sound recording copyright holder or have the copyright holders permission to use their material.
Please note that for licensing reasons, creators cannot upload single tracks that are copyrighted to another artist or rights holder. You will need to confirm the following when you publish your track:
- It’s not a remix, re-sample or cover of another track
- It’s not signed to a major record label
- You own both the mechanical & performance rights
Additionally, the songwriter(s) of the track must either be a member of ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or no other performance rights organization or publisher. Currently we cannot accept tracks by members of any other Performance Rights Organizations (PRO) such as PRS, PPL, GEMA etc.
If you/the copyright holder are a member of ASCAP then you/they must submit the form titled "Notice of Direct/Source Licensing" to ASCAP. This form is available for download and submission through the Member Access section of the ASCAP website.
If you/they are a member of BMI then you/they must send a letter detailing the relevant works to BMI letting them know that you have granted a license of the performing rights in the Musical Work(s) to Mixcloud Limited. A template of this letter can be found here.
If you/they are a member of SESAC then you/they must send a letter detailing the relevant works to SESAC letting them know that you have granted a license of the performing rights in the Musical Work(s) to Mixcloud Limited.
Please note all tracks uploaded to Mixcloud are scanned to ensure that they do not include any copyrighted content. Any tracks that are not the sole property of the uploader will not be able to be published. If you have a track that you believe has been incorrectly labelled as copyrighted, please get in touch with our Copyright Team at copyrightcheck@mixcloud.com