Mixcloud has launched in-house brand consultancy Loud under the leadership of founding partners Kazim Rashid and Ben Lawrence.
Loud further diversifies the audio streaming platform's revenue mix, following 2019’s roll-out of subscription service Mixcloud Select.
Mixcloud said it has launched Loud to help brand partners achieve cultural resonance. Clients include Adidas, Dr Martens, Shure, Red Bull and W Hotels.
The platform, which has licensing with indies and majors, claims tens of millions of users globally
Founding partner Kazim Rashid joined Mixcloud following stints at record label Warp (head of UK marketing), brand strategy agency Protein (creative director) and Vices’s advertising agency, Virtue. He continues to work as an artist manager and consultant.
Ben Lawrence assumes the founding partner role at Loud, following nine years at Mixcloud as head of brand partnerships.
It’s exciting to finally unveil this to the wider industry
Ben Lawrence
Joining the Loud leadership team are Rozi Rexhepi, Cathy Tennant, Holly Gilbertson and Joseph Strinati, who bring experience across branding, sales, strategy and production. The consultancy operates as a collaborative arm to the wider Mixcloud team from their headquarters in East London. It offers services including intelligence, strategy, creative and communication.
Rashid said: “For the past two years, we’ve been incubating Loud and working with some of our favourite brands, so it’s nice to finally announce this to the world. Mixcloud has spent the last decade carving out its business model across music, advertising and culture, and Loud now presents the perfect opportunity to channel this diversity of experience. I strongly believe in putting culture first.
“We deliver an uncompromising artist/culture-first approach to storytelling, activation and strategy. By doing so, we’re able to give our brand partners something truly unique – an experience that I hope comes with an extra dash of kindness and care.”
Lawrence added: “It’s an honour to step forward as a founding partner of Loud after leading brand partnerships at Mixcloud for the last decade. We’ve come a long way since operating as a bootstrapped startup out of a warehouse in North London. Yet we’ve never strayed from our vision as a business: amplifying culture and community. We’ve worked hard to build the team and knowledge that allow us to realise that vision in a completely new way through our work with brands. It’s exciting to finally unveil this to the wider industry.”
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