Music Meets Innovation: Merlin Connect Partners with Nina Protocol to Power Growth

Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, announced today that they have partnered with Nina Protocol as part of their Merlin Connect initiative. Nina is a music platform and direct-to-fan marketplace, built to empower independent artists and labels through fair economics, direct payments, and tools for directly engaging their communities. 

Merlin Connect is focused on licensing select emerging technology platforms that represent long-term potential for Merlin members. With Merlin Connect, Merlin provides platforms with the quality music, API-backed operational infrastructure, and strategic support and mentorship to power their growth. This includes access to industry experts and collaboration with Merlin members to help Nina scale and strengthen its position as a disruptive force in digital music.

This partnership exemplifies Merlin Connect’s mission to build relationships with the next generation of platforms at an early stage in their growth. By partnering with Nina Protocol, Merlin Connect continues to revolutionize how startups and scaleups access music, fostering innovation and providing unique opportunities for its members.

Nina offers Merlin’s members a way to experiment with and shape an artist-first platform while exploring new avenues for discovery, fan engagement, and next-generation monetization.

“Through Merlin Connect, we’re investing in a future where quality independent music is foundational to digital innovation,” said Jeremy Sirota, CEO, Merlin. “It’s about identifying partners like Nina Protocol whose mission, principles, and passion align closely with our own, and providing them with licensing solutions and dedicated support to help them thrive. Nina’s approach to artist empowerment, transparent monetization, and platform independence makes them a powerful partner for our members and a standout among emerging platforms in the space.”

Founded in 2021 by Mike Pollard, Eric Farber, and Jack Callahan—a team with deep roots in the independent music scene—Nina Protocol was built to give artists and labels more control and visibility. Nina fosters a context-driven approach where user interactions and curations connect artists, labels, and listeners, serving as pathways for discovering new music, artists, and scenes within a deeply engaged community.

On Nina, artists and labels grow release earnings through direct-to-fan sales and keep 100% of digital sales revenue. Nina provides an engaging listener experience, allowing fans to unlock perks when they support an artist and discover music through both lean-back listening and active “crate-digging” exploration. The platform is known for its high-quality editorial content—designed to feature artists, scenes and new releases—further enriching the discovery process.

“We believe the future of music is independent. In Merlin, we have found an ideal partner with an impressive track record of demonstrating how independent music can come together to secure its own digital future,” said John Pollard, COO, Nina Protocol. “This partnership connects Nina with Merlin’s diverse global membership, providing high-quality catalog and crucial insights that will help us continue to build technology that serves the independent music community and strengthens the independence of artists and labels worldwide.” 

Even before the official partnership, Merlin members were organically using Nina to build vibrant artist-to-fan communities. This included participating in Nina’s high-quality editorial opportunities such as Mad Decent’s LUCY participating in a Q&A and Harto Falión featuring in a Nina Interview Vid, as well as Warp Records’ OPN taking part in an Nina interview and Wu-Lu engaging fans through a Q&A. Merlin Connect will now build upon this proven success, leveraging these types of artist-fan interactions to bring Nina’s impact to the wider Merlin membership. Here’s what some members have to say about their experience with Nina:

“We’ve been huge fans of Nina for a while — they’ve built a strong community of like-minded music fans and have put innovation and artist empowerment at the heart of their platform,” said Rachel Buswell, Head of Digital Partnerships & Analytics at Domino Recording Company. “I’m excited for users of the service to discover their new favourite artists from across the membership.”

“It’s really exciting that Nina Protocol is committed to building a community oriented platform where artists, labels, writers, and listeners can all share with each other in such an organic way,” said Michael Thies, Sales Senior at Polyvinyl Records. “Music discovery can be both fun and rewarding, and it is refreshing that Nina Protocol is providing a space for all of these things to be brought to the forefront.”

Merlin Connect content is expected to launch on Nina this summer. Merlin and its members are excited to work closely with Nina, contributing insights and expertise to help shape the platform’s future development and unlock new opportunities for the independent community.

About Merlin Connect

Merlin Connect reimagines how digital platforms license and integrate independent music. The initiative seamlessly unlocks a curated selection of quality music from across Merlin’s membership of leading independent record labels and distributors, and makes it available to the next generation of digital platforms. 

Designed for startups and scaleups alike, Merlin Connect provides a streamlined, API-driven solution that removes the complexities traditionally associated with music licensing. But Merlin Connect is more than a licensing deal, it’s an innovation hub, a growth engine, and a strategic partner invested in each platform’s success. The initiative was recognized by Fast Company as part of their 2025 Most Innovative Companies List. 

With flexible licensing, streamlined operations, and strategic support, Merlin Connect enables companies from diverse industries to harness the power of independent music in groundbreaking ways. Merlin Connect is here to create a better future for artists, fans and platforms alike.
For more information, visit www.merlinnetwork.org/merlinconnect

About Merlin

Merlin is the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors. We’ve negotiated premium deals with Apple, Canva, Meta, Spotify, YouTube, and 40 other innovative platforms around the world. Our global membership is from 70+ countries around the world, representing 15% of the recorded music market. Merlin operates for the benefit of its members, without investors looking for an exit, and is funded entirely by our low 1.5% admin fee. Merlin helps the world’s leading independents to own their digital business through world-class deals and white-glove support.

Merlin’s membership includes independents such as !K7, anjunabeats, Armada Music Group, AudioSalad, Because Music, Beggars Group, Better Noise, Cinq Music Group, Crypton Future Media, Curb Records, Domino, EMPIRE, Epitaph Records, Exceleration Music, Freeme Digital, Hopeless Records, IDOL, Kompakt, Kontor New Media, Lex Records, Mad Decent, MNRK Music Group, Mom & Pop Music, Mushroom Music, Nettwerk, Ninja Tune, ONErpm, Polyvinyl Records, Pony Canyon, Redeye, Reservoir Media, Secret City, Secretly, Stones Throw, Sub Pop, Symphonic, Vydia, Wagram Music, Warp Records, Zebralution, and hundreds more.

Find out more at www.merlinnetwork.org

About Nina Protocol

Nina Protocol is a music platform and marketplace that empowers artists and labels with tools for greater control over their creative presentation, monetization strategies, and audience engagement. Founded in 2021 by a team deeply rooted in independent music, Nina focuses on connecting independent musicians and labels with new audiences, driving revenue from music sales, and facilitating direct artist-fan relationships. Nina elevates the listener experience by enabling fans to unlock bonus material from artists, explore music through crate-digging or lean-back discovery paths, and earn top supporter status for engaging with their favorite artists. The platform’s Nina Editorial provides fresh perspectives on music journalism, showcasing emerging scenes alongside established artists. Nina has attracted an impressive roster of independent labels including Domino Recording Co., Mad Decent, Fat Possum Records, Polyvinyl Records, RVNG Intl., Hyperdub, Mexican Summer, Year0001, and many others committed to a more equitable music ecosystem.

Learn more at https://ninaprotocol.com.