Hook Music, an AI-powered music remixing and mashup app with video editing tools for social sharing, claims that Suno’s new “Create Hook” tool closely “mirrors” its brand identity and core product offering.
Founded by Gaurav Sharma, Hook Music is backed by investors including Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew and The Raine Group. The platform raised $3 million in March, bringing its total funding to $6 million.
The company’s investors also include Imaginary Ventures, Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures, KSHMR, and Waverley Capital, co-founded by former Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Hook Music said in a blog post published on its website on Monday (December 1) that it has “spent years building the legal, technical, and creative infrastructure for a fan-first, remix-driven ecosystem”.
It added: “We pioneered a patent-pending stem-level AI attribution system, secured extensive licensing frameworks with major rights holders, and built a platform that unites AI creativity with transparent rights management and monetization for the social music experience.”
“Their ‘Create Hook’ 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 Music
Suno appears to have launched its ‘Create Hook’ tool in September. “Hooks combines your music and videos into short-form content to share with the Suno community,” the company said on its website, where it introduced the feature. “Hooks can add a new visual element to your Suno songs, and act as a new way to tell stories on Suno. Other creators can give a Thumbs-Up, leave Comments, Share, and Remix your Hooks, too.”
Remix and mash-up startup Hook Music claimed in its blog post on Monday that Suno’s ‘Create Hook’ 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”.
The company said it is “evaluating Suno’s usage of our trademarked language and considering all appropriate responses, including legal avenues, if necessary.”
“Hook Music isn’t just another AI tool,” the company’s statement reads. “Hook built an attribution, licensing, and rights-respecting foundation that the industry now acknowledges as essential.”
The statement added: “Hook welcomes competition — but not brand co-option, and not from companies that appear to be closely mirroring our approach.”
Launched in October 2024, Hook Music said in March when it closed its latest funding round that “in just four months, the company has partnered with 16 music partners and features music from over 1,200 artists” to “create authorized remixes from their songs/catalog”.
Hook claimed to be “transforming music creation” through its “AI and Machine Learning technologies that power creative remix tools, including genre and mood-changing filters and mashups”.
Hook’s blog post follows the recent news that Suno closed a $250 million Series C round at a $2.45 billion post-money valuation.
The round was led by Menlo Ventures with participation from NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture capital arm), Hallwood Media, Lightspeed, and Matrix.
It also follows last week’s news of Warner Music Group settling its lawsuit with Suno and striking a “first-of-its-kind” licensing deal with the AI music generator.
The settlement and licensing deal came just over a year after the RIAA, on behalf of all three major record companies, sued Suno and rival AI platform Udio for “mass infringement” of copyright.
Entities such as Denmark’s Koda and Germany’s GEMA continue to pursue copyright claims against Suno.Music Business Worldwide
