MUMBAI: Hoopr, a music licensing platform, has announced the launch of Hoopr Smash. This is an automated, self-serve, music licensing marketplace that makes Bollywood and regional music easily accessible and legally licensable for brands, agencies, and content creators.
Hoopr Smash has onboarded music catalogue YRF Music, bringing with it a legacy of 1000+ hits. Additionally, the platform has partnered with 17 Indian regional music labels, with tracks from over 380 acclaimed artists like A.R. Rahman, Vishal and Sheykhar, Amit Trivedi, Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah, Bohemia, Jasleen Royal, among others. With a robust and ever-growing catalogue of over 18,000 tracks, Hoopr Smash offers a simple, fast, and affordable solution to license popular and trending music for commercial use. It helps brands steer clear of legal risks while ensuring fair remuneration for artists and labels.
With the burgeoning content industry in India, 80,000 brands and 550,000 creators are making content on a daily basis. 87% of these entities are regularly and willfully violating music copyright. This misuse is causing an estimated ₹3,600 crore in annual revenue loss for the Indian music industry. With Hoopr Smash, Hoopr aims to bridge the gap between brands, creators, music labels, and artists by building a unified marketplace for organized and compliant music licensing.
The platform offers a quick licensing-on-demand format for transactions, which brands can purchase in a flexible, pay-per-track manner or by buying Super Saver Combo packs aimed at offering economical, bundled music-packs for brands that make pre-planned, regular content on their social media channels. Programmed to resemble an intuitive ecommerce platform, Hoopr Smash allows for discovery, selection and licensing of a track – all in less than 15 minutes. It features tracks, categorised by use case, mood, and occasion, along with a real-time ‘trending tracks’ segment to help brands stay culturally relevant and engaging. This resource-conscious workflow, combined with easy discoverability and highly affordable rates, renders Hoopr Smash the fastest, most convenient, and cheapest music licensing solution in India.
Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder, CEO Hoopr, said, “As an artist, I have experienced the challenges of India’s fragmented music licensing ecosystem where even my own songs have been used without permission or payment. While brands want to license music the right way, they often find themselves navigating a complex and inconsistent process while trying to license songs. Licensing Bollywood music in particular has often been complicated, with unclear legal pathways and limited access for most brands.”
“With Hoopr Smash, we are addressing this gap by building a transparent, accessible, and efficient platform that simplifies the legal licensing of popular Bollywood songs for all stakeholders. We envision Hoopr Smash becoming the go-to destination for ethical music licensing, empowering brands to create freely and fearlessly, while ensuring artists and music owners receive the value they truly deserve.”
Meghna Mittal, co-founder, CRO Hoopr, said, “Hoopr Smash is designed to address the long-standing issues of Bollywood music licensing. After extensive research with 160+ brands and agencies, we understood that there were some major pain points—volatile pricing, long negotiations, and decentralized clearance processes. Smash eliminates this by displaying Bollywood music-trending updates in real time, offering intelligent track curation, and instant licensing, allowing brands to access popular tracks faster and stay legally compliant. The site offers affordable pricing and a seamless checkout experience, and ensures that artists and labels are dealt with fairly. This is a giant leap in building an open and sustainable music licensing infrastructure in India.”
Anand Gurnani, Vice President – Digital & New Media, Yash Raj Films stated, “Hoopr’s technology presents an exciting opportunity for us to expand our reach to long-tail consumers and enhance the accessibility of our music catalogue. This partnership not only provides brands with seamless access to our extensive music catalogue but also streamlines the licensing process, ensuring efficient and compliant usage. We are confident that this collaboration will open up exciting opportunities for responsible brand engagement across short-form formats while helping us connect with wider audiences.”
Hoopr Smash is looking to create a new industry standard in organised music licensing. With tightened regulations on using music copyrights, platforms such as Hoopr Smash will be integral to brands becoming compliant and also avoiding legal hiccups. By offering a single, efficient platform with one-click access to popular tracks, Hoopr is leading the path towards a standardised and responsible ecosystem of licensing – rendering ethical, lawful, and effortless music usage a norm in the industry.
