Universal Music Group has struck a licensing partnership with Hook, an AI-powered music remixing and mashup app with video editing tools for social sharing, allowing fans to create and share content using UMG’s official recordings.
The deal was announced on Wednesday (August 19) and covers licensed user-generated content across social media, giving fans new ways to create with major-label music while routing compensation back to UMG artists and rightsholders.
Hook raised $10 million in Series A funding in February in a round led by Khosla Ventures.
At the time, the company said its platform enabled users to remix songs using AI-powered tools and share the results across social platforms, while working with rightsholders to maintain artist ownership and control.
Unlike generative AI platforms, Hook does not generate new tracks, according to the companies.
Instead, Hook enables fans to create user-generated content (UGC) with licensed music from the artists .
Every creation is licensed, attributed and tracked, so that UMG artists and rightsholders are paid both when fans create with their music and when those creations are shared.
Artist control sits at the core of the agreement, UMG and Hook said.
UMG artists and rightsholders decide which songs are available for creation, which creative experiences fans can use, and where the resulting content can be shared.
“We believe the biggest consumer use case for music creation isn’t making original songs that compete with artists. It’s about expressing yourself through the artists and songs you love while participating in the communities and culture they inspire.”
Gaurav Sharma, Hook
Individual experiences on Hook – such as remixes, sound effects, or video clipping – can be switched on or off.
“We believe the biggest consumer use case for music creation isn’t making original songs that compete with artists,” said Gaurav Sharma, founder and CEO of Hook.
“It’s about expressing yourself through the artists and songs you love while participating in the communities and culture they inspire. We spent the past two years working with UMG‘s incredible labels and artists to figure out how to make that possible in a way that empowers artists and rightsholders.”
The agreement caps two years of collaboration with UMG and its labels, including Republic Records, Capitol Records, Mavin and Virgin Music Group.
Together, UMG’s labels and Hook built more than 30 artist campaigns across new releases, remixes, and social fan activations.
“Streaming has transformed how fans listen to music,” said Michael Nash, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Universal Music Group. “Licensed fan creativity is an important part of the next chapter, combining artist control with responsible technology and new ways to create value.”
“Gaurav and the Hook team have developed a dynamic, groundbreaking platform that respects artists and strengthens the music ecosystem. It’s exactly the kind of innovation we want to help lead.”
“Licensed fan creativity is an important part of the next chapter, combining artist control with responsible technology and new ways to create value.”
Michael Nash, Universal Music Group
The tie-up builds on a run of licensing moves by UMG.
The company in October 2025 settled its copyright lawsuit against AI music platform Udio and agreed to jointly develop a licensed AI music creation service.
In May, UMG and TikTok renewed their multi-year global licensing agreement, with expanded AI protections for artists and songwriters.
The partnership comes amid rising adoption of AI tools across the music industry, including from generative platform Suno.
In December 2025, Hook claimed that a ‘Create Hook’ feature launched by AI music generator Suno too closely resembled its own brand and product.
Hook said at the time that the feature “mirrors our identity and functionality to such a degree that it raises serious concerns about potential consumer confusion and the protection of Hook’s established trademark and brand”.
Hook is backed by Khosla Ventures, Point72, Imaginary Ventures, and Waverley Capital, which was co-founded by former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr.
“For too long, this industry has been asked to accept a false choice: that innovation in music must come at the expense of the people who make it. It never had to.”
Edgar Bronfman Jr.
In 2024, Hook also partnered with Downtown Music to license tracks for its platform.
“For too long, this industry has been asked to accept a false choice: that innovation in music must come at the expense of the people who make it. It never had to,” said Bronfman Jr.
“The technologies that endure in music are the ones that deepen the connection between artists and their audiences, not the ones that exploit it. Hook was built on that conviction from its first day.”Music Business Worldwide