MUMBAI: In a digital world where content is king and background music makes the crown sparkle, the stakes for licensing music just got louder. Hoopr Smash has struck a strategic partnership with Merchant Records—the label founded by composer duo Salim–Sulaiman—bringing over 450 new tracks into its fast-expanding library.

The partnership marks a high-decibel leap for India’s legal music licensing ecosystem. Hoopr Smash now offers a robust catalogue of more than 18,500 tracks, reinforcing its role as the go-to destination for brands, creators and agencies seeking fully compliant audio content.

With a musical legacy spanning 25 years, Merchant Records has worked with some of the most recognisable voices in India, including Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan. The label’s iconic IP Bhoomi, now in its sixth edition, celebrates India’s folk and spiritual heritage—tracks that have trended across platforms like Instagram and Youtube.

“Our catalogue—spanning culturally rich tracks, truly independent music, and original music IPs like Bhoomi—has long been part of India’s sonic landscape. With Hoopr Smash, we’re excited to bring this body of work to brands and creators through a platform that values compliance, transparency, and technology. This partnership gives us the ability to monetise our music more efficiently while providing creators a legal and scalable solution to use the sounds their audiences already love. It’s a win for the ecosystem at large”, said Merchant Records co-founder Salim Merchant.

India’s content economy sees over 80,000 brands generating digital content daily—87 per cent of which reportedly violate music licensing norms. With unlicensed usage contributing to an estimated Rs 8,000 crore loss annually, platforms like Hoopr Smash aim to close the gap between legality and creativity.

“India’s music ecosystem is at a turning point. With over millions of content pieces created daily by 80 million content creators, the demand for high-quality, culturally relevant music is soaring—but so is the need for legal, ethical, and transparent licensing. Our collaboration with Merchant Records is an important step in addressing this gap. Salim–Sulaiman’s legacy and versatility has inspired and shaped generations, and we plan to create a structured, inclusive, and future-ready music licensing ecosystem together. At Hoopr, we aim to empower creators, protect rights and enable brands to tell stories with music in a way that’s free of legal uncertainties. This isn’t just about access; it’s about impact, equity, and sustainability in how music is used and monetized in the digital era, especially when over Rs 8,000 crore is lost annually due to unlicensed usage”, said Hoopr co-founder & CEO Gaurav Dagaonkar.

Hoopr co-founder & CRO Meghna Mittal highlighted that Hoopr Smash is powered by a compliance-first, tech-driven platform designed to streamline music licensing at scale. “Collaborating with Merchant Records—whose repertoire includes some of India’s most iconic and culturally significant music—is a significant milestone for us”.

Merchant Records CEO Shivansh Jindal reinforced the need to align reach with responsibility. “Partnering with Hoopr Smash enables us to take a major step in that direction. It’s not just about licensing—it’s about building a culture of respect for music, and ensuring that the industry grows on the foundations of fairness, creativity, and collaboration”.

As brands and creators compete to stand out in India’s content boom, this partnership promises to hit the right note—legally, ethically, and loud enough to be heard above the digital noise.