Hoopr
Hoopr is a Mumbai-based AI-powered music licensing platform that aggregates rights-cleared Indian music from 21+ labels for content creators and brands, operating a twin-engine model with a creator subscription storefront and an enterprise B2B marketplace.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersMumbai, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Hoopr does
Hoopr (legally GSHARP MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, headquartered in Mumbai, India) is an AI-powered music licensing platform that aggregates rights-cleared Indian music from 21+ Indian labels including Universal Music Group, Yash Raj Films, and IPRS-affiliated rights bodies. Its catalog spans 12,000+ tracks, 250+ playlists, 4,000+ sound effects across 20+ genres with worldwide clearance across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms. The platform was founded around 2021 and serves two distinct customer bases through a twin-engine product model: the Hoopr creator platform, a self-serve subscription storefront for individual YouTubers, short-form video creators, and influencers at ₹79-199/month tiers, and Hoopr Smash, a self-serve enterprise B2B marketplace for brands, agencies, and production houses to license music for advertising and long-form content. A managed-services sub-brand, Hoopr Brand Solutions (hooprbrandsolutions.com), handles end-to-end music supervision for larger clients.
The platform applies AI/ML across four disclosed capabilities: a personalized track recommendation engine, an AI Content-Idea Generator for brand campaigns, a Brand Match Score that scores brand-fit between a brand's digital footprint and catalog tracks, and copyright-violation detection for rights enforcement. Hoopr has disbursed ₹4.5 crore in royalties to rights holders, served 200,000+ creators (some sources cite 400,000+) and 180+ brand customers including Myntra, ITC, Cadbury, Marico, Flipkart, Sony LIV, and Pocket FM. Distribution combines PLG self-serve at hoopr.ai, an enterprise field sales motion via Hoopr Smash, community-led creator endorsement (Flying Beast, Mr Indian Hacker, Ranveer Brar, Ashish Vidyarthi), and label/rights-body channel partnerships.
Revenue derives from creator subscriptions (Starter ₹79/mo or ₹158/yr, Pro ₹129/mo or ₹258/yr, Elite ₹199/mo or ₹398/yr with ~50% annual discounts), enterprise quote-based licensing via Hoopr Smash and Brand Solutions, lifetime license purchases, and a marketplace/aggregator commission on label royalty distributions. The company has raised a two-tranche pre-Series A round in late 2025 and early 2026 (₹4 crore first tranche led by Inflection Point Ventures, second tranche led by The Chennai Angels with participation from Inflection Point Ventures and MeitY) at a consistent ₹160 crore post-money valuation, with capital earmarked for scaling Hoopr Smash, AI product development, copyright-detection infrastructure, and international expansion. An earlier seed/angel round of $1.5M closed in December 2021 from 100Unicorns, Venture Catalysts, 91 Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, Inflection Point Ventures, SN Damani, and Soonicorn Ventures.
Hoopr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hoopr
- Legal name
- GSHARP MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
- Website
- https://hoopr.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hoopr is a Mumbai-based AI-powered music licensing platform that aggregates rights-cleared Indian music from 21+ labels for content creators and brands, operating a twin-engine model with a creator subscription storefront and an enterprise B2B marketplace.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hoopr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Licensing Platform
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses) (MPAIAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sync Royalty Administration & Reporting (Cue Sheets, Claims, Audits) (MPAIALAL)
Keywords
Where Hoopr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mumbai
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Hoopr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Creator Subscriptions: Recurring monthly/annual subscriptions from individual creators on Starter (₹79/mo, ₹158/yr), Pro (₹129/mo, ₹258/yr) and Elite (₹199/mo, ₹398/yr) tiers with a ~50% annual discount. Land-and-expand as creators upgrade tiers or buy lifetime licenses.
- Enterprise Music Licensing (Hoopr Smash / Brand Solutions): Custom B2B licensing deals negotiated with brands, agencies, OTT platforms and production houses (e.g., Myntra, ITC, Cadbury, Marico, Sony LIV, Flipkart, Pocket FM) for campaign-grade music usage. Quote-based, recurring project-based revenue.
- Lifetime Licenses: One-time purchase lifetime licenses available to creators as an alternative to recurring subscription, providing perpetual usage rights.
- Label Royalty Distribution (Pass-through): Hoopr aggregates rights from 21+ Indian labels (e.g., IPRS, YRF) and disburses royalties — ₹4.5 crore has been disbursed to rights holders, indicating a marketplace/aggregator revenue share mechanism.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Starter plan — entry-level creator subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro plan — mid-tier creator subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Elite plan — top-tier creator subscription |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Hoopr Smash / Brand Solutions — enterprise custom pricing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Lifetime license — one-time perpetual access |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hoopr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hoopr operates a twin-engine music licensing platform: a self-serve creator-facing subscription product (Hoopr) that gives individual video creators access to a rights-cleared catalog of 12,000+ Indian tracks with AI-powered discovery and single-click licensing for YouTube and social use, and an enterprise self-serve marketplace (Hoopr Smash) plus managed-services arm (Hoopr Brand Solutions) that supplies pre-cleared Indian music to brands, agencies, OTT platforms, and production houses for advertising and long-form campaigns. The catalog is aggregated from 21+ Indian music labels and rights bodies (including IPRS, Universal Music Group, and Yash Raj Films) with worldwide clearance.
Product overview
Hoopr operates a twin-engine product model: a self-serve creator-facing music licensing platform (Hoopr) for YouTubers, short-form video creators, and independent filmmakers to discover, edit, and license pre-cleared Indian and international music; and an enterprise self-serve marketplace (Hoopr Smash) that lets brands, agencies, and production houses search, preview, and license tracks for ads and campaigns. The two engines are reinforced by the AI features Brand Match Score and AI Content-Idea Generator (on Hoopr Smash), the Music Mixer Plugin creator tool inside the core platform, and a managed-services sub-brand (Hoopr Brand Solutions) for end-to-end music supervision. An API/SDK offering supports Broadcast/TV/OTT and enterprise integrations on a contact basis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hoopr Smash: Enterprise-facing self-serve B2B music licensing marketplace for brands and businesses; distinct from the creator-side Hoopr platform.
Products and services
- Hoopr Creator Platform Self-serve music licensing subscription platform for individual content creators (YouTubers, short-form video creators, independent filmmakers) that provides access to a pre-cleared catalog of 12,000+ Indian and international tracks with AI-powered discovery, personalized recommendations, and single-click licensing for use on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other digital video platforms.
- Hoopr Smash Self-serve enterprise music licensing marketplace for brands, agencies, and production houses, offering instant preview, add-to-cart, and single-click licensing of pre-cleared tracks for advertising, digital, and social campaigns. Forms the enterprise side of Hoopr's twin-engine model alongside the creator platform, and includes AI-powered Brand Match Score and AI Content-Idea Generator features.
- Hoopr Brand Solutions Managed services arm of Hoopr that delivers end-to-end music supervision, sync licensing, and custom soundtrack solutions for brands, agencies, and production companies requiring a managed-service option beyond the self-serve Hoopr Smash marketplace.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000+ creators served (also cited as 4 lakh+/400,000+ creators)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Hoopr
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hoopr technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Hoopr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Universal Music GroupflagshipStrategic content partnership bringing major-label catalog and rights-clearance capability into Hoopr's platform. UMG's involvement signals label-grade trust in Hoopr's licensing infrastructure and broadens the catalog available to creators and brands.
- IPRS (Indian Performing Right Society)flagshipRights-body partnership that aggregates and clears performing rights across Indian labels for Hoopr's catalog. IPRS affiliation is a key trust signal for enterprise customers needing fully cleared Indian music.
- Yash Raj Films (YRF)coreIndian film label partnership contributing YRF music catalog into Hoopr's rights-cleared offering for creators and brands needing Bollywood-style tracks.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Hoopr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Artlist: Artlist is a subscription-based royalty-free music and sound effects platform for video creators, agencies and brands. It is Hoopr's closest direct peer, sharing the same core business model (unlimited subscription music licensing for video use), self-serve + enterprise motion, and AI-driven discovery tools.
- Epidemic Sound: Epidemic Sound is a global subscription music licensing platform that provides pre-cleared music and sound effects to YouTubers, brands and agencies. Its business model (subscription + enterprise), curated rights-cleared catalog and emphasis on content-creator workflows closely mirror Hoopr's twin-engine approach.
- Musicbed: Musicbed is a sync licensing platform that licenses independent music for films, ads, brands and creators. It overlaps directly with Hoopr's enterprise B2B sync motion for brands, agencies and production houses needing curated, rights-cleared tracks for campaigns and long-form content.
- Audio Network: Audio Network licenses pre-cleared production music for film, TV, advertising and digital media worldwide. It is a direct comparable to Hoopr's Hoopr Smash enterprise offering for OTT, broadcast and brand customers needing global, multi-platform clearance.
- Soundstripe: Soundstripe offers a subscription-based royalty-free music, sound effects and stock footage library for video creators and businesses. Its unlimited-subscription music licensing model for YouTubers, agencies and brands is highly comparable to Hoopr's creator + enterprise platform structure.
- Tunetank: Tunetank is a music licensing marketplace that connects independent artists with video creators, YouTubers and brands needing pre-cleared music. Its marketplace/aggregator structure mirrors Hoopr's label-aggregated catalog and rights-clearance approach for creators and SMBs.
Broad incumbents
- Storyblocks: Storyblocks is a subscription-based royalty-free content marketplace spanning video, audio and images. While broader than Hoopr (it is not music-specialist), its unlimited-subscription model for SMB creators and agencies competes for the same self-serve customer base.
- Shutterstock Music: Shutterstock Music offers royalty-free music licensing as part of Shutterstock's broader stock media platform. It is a broad incumbent comparable on the enterprise and SMB licensing side, though it is not India-focused and lacks Hoopr's curated Indian-rights corpus.
- Getty Images Music: Getty Images Music licenses premium production music for advertising, film and broadcast. It overlaps with Hoopr Smash on enterprise sync licensing for brands and production houses, but operates as one vertical within a much larger visual media business.
Emerging players
- Beatoven.ai: Beatoven.ai is an India-based AI music generation platform for content creators and brands. It targets the same Indian creator and brand customer base as Hoopr but is differentiated by AI-generated music rather than licensed catalog, making it a partial-overlap emerging competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hoopr social profiles
Digital presenceHoopr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hoopr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hoopr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hoopr 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 Hoopr
What does Hoopr do?
Hoopr operates a twin-engine music licensing platform: a self-serve creator-facing subscription product (Hoopr) that gives individual video creators access to a rights-cleared catalog of 12,000+ Indian tracks with AI-powered discovery and single-click licensing for YouTube and social use, and an enterprise self-serve marketplace (Hoopr Smash) plus managed-services arm (Hoopr Brand Solutions) that supplies pre-cleared Indian music to brands, agencies, OTT platforms, and production houses for advertising and long-form campaigns. The catalog is aggregated from 21+ Indian music labels and rights bodies (including IPRS, Universal Music Group, and Yash Raj Films) with worldwide clearance.
Is Hoopr a public or private company?
Hoopr is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hoopr founded?
Hoopr was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hoopr based?
Hoopr is headquartered in Mumbai, India, in the Asia region.
How does Hoopr make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Creator Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are enterprise Music Licensing (Hoopr Smash / Brand Solutions), lifetime Licenses and label Royalty Distribution (Pass-through).
Who are Hoopr's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Artlist, Epidemic Sound, Musicbed, Audio Network, Soundstripe and Tunetank. Broad incumbents are Storyblocks, Shutterstock Music and Getty Images Music. Beatoven.ai is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hoopr have an API?
Yes. API/SDK integrations are available for enterprise use cases such as Broadcast/TV/OTT. Hoopr instructs interested users to contact the sales team for details, indicating the API is partner/enterprise-facing rather than publicly self-serve. No documentation URL, protocol type, or rate limits are published.
What industry is Hoopr in?
Hoopr's product category is Music Licensing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAKAJ, Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses), with a secondary code of MPAIALAL, Sync Royalty Administration & Reporting (Cue Sheets, Claims, Audits). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 7990.