Nina Protocol
American audio streaming and media service provider
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nina Protocol is an American audio streaming and media service provider founded in New York in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber. Emerging during the 2020s NFT-boom, the platform is a decentralized, blockchain-based music distribution service, forum and marketplace that allows independent artists to sell music directly to fans and retain all of their revenue.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music streaming, Blockchain, Music distribution |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, Eric Farber |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
Key people | Jack Callahan Mike Pollard Eric Farber |
| Products | Music streaming platform |
| Services | Music streaming, music distribution, online marketplace |
| Website | ninaprotocol |
History
Nina Protocol was founded in New York in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber.[1] Writing for Rolling Stone magazine, Jeff Ihaza described the site as a remnant of the "2020s NFT-boom".[1] Though he adds that the platform has avoided "the familiar Crypto hype cycles".[1] The platform acts as a peer-to-peer streaming service which encourages artists to upload their work to its blockchain.[1] According to a 2025 article on the platform by The Guardian, the site's staff is a "five-person team".[2] The site's use of blockchain allows to "cut out the middle man of private profit-oriented companies".[3]
Nina Protocol has pushed for curated discovery for experimental and independent artists such as Surf Gang and Jawnino.[3] The site has largely been described as an opposition to mainstream streaming platforms like Spotify who focus on primarily algorithmically curated playlists focused on larger artists.[3] In 2025, Mike Pollard the founder of Nina Protocol stated in an interview with The Guardian that "I can see a world where Spotify doesn't exist".[2][4][5][6][7][8]