Universal Music India x Hoopr unveil Artist Accelerator to power the next wave of Independent Music in India

Mumbai, 15^th January 2026: Universal Music India, in collaboration with Hoopr, has announced the launch of an industry-first Artist Accelerator Programme aimed at empowering emerging independent musicians across the country. Designed to provide structured funding, creative support, and monetisation opportunities, the initiative seeks to enable domestic independent artists to create, release, and earn from their music in a sustainable way.

The programme addresses key challenges faced by independent musicians by offering end-to-end publishing, distribution, sync and micro-sync opportunities, and brand collaborations. As part of the initiative, a large catalogue of original compositions will be created and released on Hoopr’s YouTube channel, Songfest India, while also being published on Hoopr’s music-tech platform, Hoopr Smash.

Songfest has previously collaborated with leading artists such as Monali Thakur, Shalmali Kholgade, Nikhil D’Souza, and Ash King, and has delivered several award-winning brand music projects. Building on this legacy, the new accelerator programme aims to nurture fresh talent at scale.

In addition, the programme will provide Hoopr artists access to a significant collection of iconic Universal Music India classics, reimagined and recreated by emerging musicians. A curated selection of these remixes will be released on UMG India’s Revibe Hits YouTube channel.

Leveraging Universal Music Group’s vast global distribution network and world-class music marketing capabilities, combined with Hoopr’s extensive community of independent artists, the programme will offer participants a unified platform to create new music with enhanced visibility and monetisation potential.

Artists will be identified through curated auditions conducted by Universal Music Group for Hoopr’s community of thousands of creators. Selected participants will receive comprehensive end-to-end support, including A&R guidance, studio access, mixing and mastering, music video production, and sync opportunities via Hoopr.

Open to artists across all genres and languages, the programme arrives at a time when independent music is increasingly dominating India’s charts and brand sync opportunities are expanding rapidly, marking a significant step forward for the country’s independent music ecosystem.