With the rise of short video apps, people are using various tools to Differentiate your videos by remixing popular songs. Many creators use tricks to change their songs, such as speeding them up, slowing them down, or using a clap track. Labels and social media companies have tools to monitor usage so artists (and labels themselves) can earn money, but many of these remixes evade detection mechanisms.
To solve this problem, Gaurav Sharma, who served as chief operating officer of India-based music streaming service JioSaavn for more than five years, set out to solve this problem. needle Sharma joined the company in 2010 when it was Saavn. The company was acquired by Reliance Jio in 2018, and in the same year, Jio Music and Saavn were merged to form JioSaavn.
He told TechCrunch that after his experience in the music streaming industry, he wanted to create a tool and content management system that allows users to create remixes and reward artists for them.
“We want to use AI to make it super easy for fans to remix and imprint their own creativity on their favorite moments in music. We do it all as a value proposition to content owners and labels by operating on the same platform,” Sharma said.
“Derivative songs are often not copyrighted, so we are building a platform focused on the use of AI, with a strong focus on solving questions of attribution and compensation.”
Gaurav Sharma, Founder and CEO of Hook. Image credits: Florian Königsberger/Hook
To that end, the company is building an app with AI chops that allows users to legally create remixes of tracks and use them across social media. Users can select short snippets of songs (less than 60 seconds) and use Hook’s tools to put their own spin on them. You can also explore remixes made by other fans.
Initially, the company plans to restrict users from exporting clips created with Hooks to its own apps and popular social networks. Sharma emphasized that the startup is not aimed at making it possible to export his MP3 tracks.
Hook plans to release the app in private beta next month, with a public release expected sometime in 2024.
The company has raised $3 million in seed funding led by Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures and former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s Waverly Capital. Other investors also participated in the round, including Mark Gillespie’s Three Six Zero and Japan-based entertainment company Avex.
Hook’s leadership team also includes Chief Product Officer Simmi Singh, who has worked on product and growth at JioSaavn Spotify. Chief Financial Officer Manav Choksi has served as a funding advisor to several startups.
Social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, etc. Facebook is steadily growing its catalog of licensed music that can be used to create videos. Labels receive revenue from the consumption and use of their titles on these platforms. Hook says the platform will also help labels monetize offshoots.
Given the Remix fame grew upon Platforms like TikTokthe label is Invest in official remix promotion and relationships with creators. Sharma believes that influencers and creators can drive music discovery by acting as “radio stations of the day.”
“Our immediate focus is on building our user base. Ultimately, we see ourselves becoming a core part of the music creator economy, acting as an agency for creators and an A&R tool for labels. I’m coming,” he said.