Hook
Hook is a social music platform that uses AI-powered tools to enable fans and creators to legally remix over 20 million licensed songs through partnerships with Universal Music Group and other major labels, serving both consumer creators and music rights holders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hook does
Hook (legal entity: Hook Media, Inc.) is a New York-headquartered, Delaware-incorporated social music platform that enables fans and creators to legally remix more than 20 million licensed songs using AI-powered tools. The company was founded in 2022 and operates a mobile-first consumer application (iOS launched September 2024, Android planned with Series A funding) where users can create remixes via audio effects such as speed adjustments, genre transformations, and equalizer functions, participate in time-limited remix challenges with prizes, climb creator leaderboards, and share output across social platforms. The platform's core differentiator is its licensed catalog secured through partnerships with Universal Music Group, Downtown Music/FUGA, Too Lost, Primary Wave, and Avex, combined with a patent-pending AI attribution system that tracks and credits original artists in remixed content.
Hook's technology stack combines generative AI for audio processing with automated rights-management infrastructure, enabling fans to create remixes while ensuring artists retain ownership and monetization. The platform operates a two-sided marketplace serving both consumer creators (music fans and social media users engaging in remix challenges) and rights holders (record labels and artists licensing their catalogs for fan-driven content). Distribution is multi-channel: native iOS and Android app stores, direct integrations with SoundCloud and Snapchat lenses, and artist-led co-marketing campaigns featuring talent including The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, Joji, Metro Boomin, and Empire of the Sun.
The business model combines platform/transaction fees on remix creation, a potential subscription or premium tier (specific pricing not publicly disclosed), revenue sharing with artists and labels whose music is remixed, and partnership/integration fees with distribution platforms. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led, with growth driven by viral remix challenges, creator leaderboards, and cross-platform sharing rather than enterprise sales. As of February 2026 the company had raised approximately $16M across multiple funding rounds from investors including Khosla Ventures, Waverley Capital, Point72 Ventures, Palm Tree Crew, Three Six Zero, Avex, Imaginary Ventures, The Raine Group, and musician/DJ KSHMR, and operates with 11-50 employees.
Hook firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hook
- Legal name
- Hook Media, Inc.
- Website
- https://hookmusic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hook is a social music platform that uses AI-powered tools to enable fans and creators to legally remix over 20 million licensed songs through partnerships with Universal Music Group and other major labels, serving both consumer creators and music rights holders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hook industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI-powered social music creation platform
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Social/UGC Music Platforms (Short-Form, Social Listening) (MPAIACAE)
Keywords
Where Hook is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hook business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Platform Usage/Remix Creation: Revenue generated from users creating and sharing remixes on the platform. Artists retain monetization rights while Hook takes a platform fee.
- Premium Features/Subscriptions: Potential subscription or premium tier for enhanced features, though exact pricing model not publicly disclosed.
- Artist/Label Licensing Revenue Share: Revenue sharing model with artists and labels whose music is remixed, creating new income streams for the music industry.
- Partnership/Integration Fees: Revenue from strategic integrations with platforms like SoundCloud and brand partnerships through remix challenges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Standard Platform Access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Hook product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hook provides an AI-powered mobile social music platform that allows fans and creators to legally remix and mashup songs drawn from a licensed catalog of more than 20 million tracks. Users apply AI-assisted audio effects to create short-form remixes, participate in artist-themed remix challenges, and share creations across social platforms, while artists and labels retain ownership and monetization rights through Hook's proprietary licensing and attribution framework.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hook Music App Hook's core iOS mobile application that enables music fans and creators to produce and share AI-assisted remixes and mashups of more than 20 million licensed songs, apply audio effects such as Speaker, Speed, Garage, Fade In, Equalizer, and Bass House, participate in remix challenges, and engage through creator leaderboards.
Quantifiable outcome
- 45X growth in active users over 12 months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hook
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hook technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Hook partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- SoundCloudcoreStrategic integration partnership. Joint Lil Wayne Tha Carter VI Remix Challenge launched on both platforms. Enables cross-platform sharing of remixes.
- SnapchatmajorPlatform integration partnership. Two Snapchat lenses launched for remixing music, enabling viral sharing within Snapchat's user base.
- Glassnote RecordssupportingPartnership with independent record label for licensed music catalog access.
- Universal Music GroupcoreFlagship licensing partnership with world's largest record label. UMG artists including The Weeknd, Lil Wayne available for remixes. Major label validation of licensing model.
- Downtown Music/FUGAcoreLicensing partnership providing catalog access through Downtown's FUGA distribution platform. Major independent music publisher and distributor.
- Primary WavemajorLicensing partnership with music publishing company specializing in catalog management and artist services.
- Too LostmajorDigital distribution partnership for music licensing and royalty collection. Expanded in February 2025.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hook competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Suno: Suno is the leading AI music generation platform, allowing users to create full songs from text prompts. While Suno focuses on text-to-music generation versus Hook's licensed remix approach, both target the same consumer creator segment and compete for AI music mindshare, with Suno's $2.45B valuation establishing the category ceiling. <parameter name="source_id">
- Udio: Udio is an AI music generation platform positioned similarly to Suno, enabling creators to produce original music via text prompts. Udio has raised substantial funding and competes directly with Hook for AI-assisted music creation users, though Udio currently faces major label litigation over training data. <parameter name="source_id">
- Boomy: Boomy is an AI music creation and distribution platform that enables users to generate original songs and distribute them to streaming services. Boomy shares Hook's consumer-facing AI music creation positioning and adds a distribution layer, representing a comparable business model with similar target users. <parameter name="source_id">
- BandLab: BandLab is a social music creation platform with 60M+ users that enables musicians and creators to collaborate on music in the cloud. BandLab shares Hook's social/UGC music creation ethos and target audience of amateur creators, though BandLab emphasizes traditional DAW functionality versus Hook's AI remix focus. <parameter name="source_id">
- Soundtrap: Soundtrap is a cloud-based music studio owned by Spotify that enables creators to record, edit, and collaborate on music. Soundtrap shares Hook's cloud-based, social music creation positioning and serves a similar amateur/prosumer creator audience with native collaboration features. <parameter name="source_id">
Emerging players
- Splice: Splice is a music creation platform offering royalty-free samples, loops, and plugins used by millions of producers. While Splice focuses on producer tools rather than social remix, both platforms serve the music creator ecosystem and compete for the same creator wallet share. <parameter name="source_id">
- LANDR: LANDR is an AI-powered music production platform specializing in automated mastering, distribution, and collaboration tools. LANDR shares Hook's AI music production positioning and creator-target audience, though LANDR emphasizes professional mastering workflows rather than social remix. <parameter name="source_id">
- Bandcamp: Bandcamp is a music marketplace and community platform for independent artists and labels, now owned by Songtradr. Bandcamp shares Hook's artist-first ethos and music community focus, though Bandcamp emphasizes music sales and discovery rather than AI-powered social remix creation. <parameter name="source_id">
Broad incumbents
- TikTok: TikTok is a short-form video platform with deeply integrated music creation and remix features serving billions of users. While TikTok is a broad entertainment incumbent, its built-in music tools and remix capabilities represent a potential strategic threat and distribution opportunity for Hook's social music creation approach. <parameter name="source_id">
Others
- DistroKid: DistroKid is the leading independent music distribution platform serving hundreds of thousands of artists with release to streaming services. While DistroKid focuses on distribution rather than creation, it serves the same music creator ecosystem and represents a potential partnership or competitive overlap for Hook's artist-facing features. <parameter name="source_id">
Market position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hook social profiles
Digital presenceHook financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hook leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hook funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hook M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hook
What does Hook do?
Hook provides an AI-powered mobile social music platform that allows fans and creators to legally remix and mashup songs drawn from a licensed catalog of more than 20 million tracks. Users apply AI-assisted audio effects to create short-form remixes, participate in artist-themed remix challenges, and share creations across social platforms, while artists and labels retain ownership and monetization rights through Hook's proprietary licensing and attribution framework.
Is Hook a public or private company?
Hook is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hook founded?
Hook was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hook based?
Hook is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hook make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Platform Usage/Remix Creation is the primary driver. The others are premium Features/Subscriptions, artist/Label Licensing Revenue Share and partnership/Integration Fees.
Who are Hook's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Suno, Udio, Boomy, BandLab and Soundtrap. Emerging players are Splice, LANDR and Bandcamp. TikTok is listed as a broad incumbent. DistroKid is listed as an others.
Does Hook have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hook.
What industry is Hook in?
Hook's product category is AI-powered social music creation platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAG, AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering), with a secondary code of MPAIACAE, Social/UGC Music Platforms (Short-Form, Social Listening). Its NAICS code is 5122.