Mixcloud, an online radio site, which aims to be the “YouTube of radio,” has just launched to the public. The site, which is based in London, aims to make radio more social, personal, and democratic. The public is taking notice. Mixcloud is already creating a lot of buzz, and has made the trending topics on Twitter.
The site was created by Nikhil Shah and Nico Perez with the intention of creating a space where DJs and radio presenters can share and promote their mixes and shows without having to use file sharing sites, according to Wikipedia. Mat Clayton is named as a third co-founder on the site.
What is Mixcloud? from Mixcloud on Vimeo.
“We’re friends old and new (many of whom met at Cambridge University) connected by our love for radio, problem solving and building exciting new projects,” the team says. “It was through this intersection of interests that we realised there’s an obvious problem on the Internet that we need to fix – that of connecting radio shows, DJ mixes and Podcasts to listeners.”
“We think all these forms of content offer a very similar listening experience – a ‘Cloudcast’ – that is curated by a human enthusiast or expert,” the Mixcloud team adds. “That’s the important bit – we’ve always discovered great new things through people we respect, so we want to help guide listeners to those people more easily.”
Mixcloud is still in beta, and has a ways to go in terms of content if it wants to become the “YouTube” of radio. The concept is a good one though, and it will be interesting to see if it becomes successful. It’s going to take a lot of users jumping on board, and if the buzz it is already starting to generate is any indicator, it just may have a shot. Either way, it’s one to keep an eye on.
