Hook: Using AI to Create Legal Remixes of TikTok's Popular Music
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Gaurav Sharma, founder of the music remixing app Hook, aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to help music fans legally create remixes of their favorite tracks for sharing on short-video platforms like TikTok. The app plans to achieve this by allowing users to select song snippets of up to 60 seconds and use Hook's tools to add their own creative flair.
Users can also browse remixes created by other fans. The company plans to release a private beta next year, followed by an official launch in 2024.
Website: https://www.hookmusic.com/
Sharma emphasizes that Hook is designed to provide value to music content creators and record labels by addressing issues of creative rights and compensation. He notes that derivative tracks often lack associated copyrights, so Hook is building a platform that uses AI to resolve these challenges. This means creators can use AI to produce music without infringing copyrights, while music content creators and record labels can also profit from these derivative works.
Hook has successfully raised $3 million in seed funding from investors including Point72 Ventures (led by Steve Cohen) and Waverley Capital (founded by former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr.). The company's team also includes Chief Product Officer Simmi Singh, who previously worked at JioSaavn and Spotify, and fundraising advisor Manav Choksi, who has experience with multiple startups.
For social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, which are gradually expanding their licensed music catalogs for user-generated content, Hook states that their platform will help record labels monetize derivative works. Given the importance of remixes on platforms like TikTok, record labels are also investing in official remix versions and collaborating with creators to boost music discovery.
In summary, Hook's goal is to provide music fans with a legal way to create and share their favorite music, while helping record companies and music content creators earn rewards from these creative works. They plan to achieve this through AI technology and have secured funding, with plans to launch an application in the future.