Hoopr Secures Pre-Series A Funding to Scale India's Music Licensing Ecosystem

The Indian digital content landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift from a fragmented, often non-compliant 'wild west' to a structured, copyright-conscious ecosystem. At the heart of this transformation is Hoopr, which recently secured an undisclosed amount of Pre-Series A funding from The Chennai Angels. This investment, which follows participation from Inflection Point Ventures and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), signals a growing institutional confidence in the 'sync licensing' model—the practice of licensing music for use in video content. As platforms like YouTube and Instagram continue to dominate consumer attention in India, the demand for copyright-safe, high-quality music has moved from a luxury to a legal and operational necessity for creators and brands alike.

Hoopr’s strategic advantage lies in its 'twin-engine' ecosystem. The core Hoopr platform serves a massive base of over 400,000 independent creators, including high-profile influencers like Flying Beast and Ranveer Brar. By providing a subscription-based model for copyright-safe music, Hoopr mitigates the risk of demonetization or legal action that creators face when using unlicensed tracks. Simultaneously, the company has launched Hoopr Smash, a dedicated vertical for brands and enterprises. This platform addresses a critical gap in the market: the licensing of Bollywood and mainstream Indian music. By aggregating catalogs from 21 leading Indian labels, including giants like Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Universal Music Group (UMG), Hoopr Smash provides a streamlined, transparent gateway for brands like Marico, ITC, and Myntra to legally integrate popular music into their marketing campaigns.

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At the heart of this transformation is Hoopr, which recently secured an undisclosed amount of Pre-Series A funding from The Chennai Angels.

The technological backbone of Hoopr is equally significant. The company is deploying its capital toward a proprietary system designed to detect copyright violations and automate revenue sharing. This solves a long-standing 'black box' problem in the Indian music industry, where artists and labels often struggle to track and monetize the usage of their intellectual property across millions of digital videos. The platform’s recent deal with the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) further solidifies this commitment to transparency, ensuring that royalties reach the rightful owners. This focus on compliance and data-driven royalty distribution positions Hoopr not just as a library, but as a critical piece of financial infrastructure for the creative economy.

Beyond simple licensing, Hoopr is moving upstream into content creation and strategic partnerships. The launch of its Artist Accelerator program in collaboration with Universal Music Group indicates a shift toward developing original music specifically tailored for the sync market. This 'made-for-sync' approach allows Hoopr to own or control more of its supply chain, increasing margins and providing unique assets that competitors cannot match. Furthermore, partnerships with global tech leaders like Adobe and domestic powerhouses like Jio Studios—exemplified by the placement of a title track in the film 'Saali Mohabbat'—demonstrate Hoopr's ability to integrate into the professional production workflows of both individual creators and major film studios.

Looking forward, the success of Hoopr will likely depend on its ability to maintain its lead in the Bollywood licensing space while scaling its automated detection technology. As global competitors like Epidemic Sound or Artlist eye the Indian market, Hoopr’s deep-rooted relationships with local labels and its understanding of the specific nuances of Indian copyright law provide a formidable moat. For venture capital investors, the startup represents a bet on the professionalization of the creator economy and the inevitable convergence of music, technology, and advertising in the world’s fastest-growing digital market.