Gauri Aayeer Appointed Label Head At Hoopr To Strengthen Artist-First Ecosystem

India’s first music licensing platform Hoopr has announced the appointment of Gauri Aayeer as Label Head, marking a strategic move to deepen its artist-first ecosystem under Songfest. In her new role, Aayeer will lead Hoopr’s artist accelerator programme, designed to support and scale independent artists working beyond traditional genre boundaries through structured growth, consistent creation, and long-term monetisation.

The accelerator focuses on a combination of creative guidance, strategic planning, and ecosystem-led support, enabling artists to unlock opportunities across sync, micro-sync, and brand integrations. The appointment builds on Hoopr’s recent efforts to formalise artist development, following its industry-first artist accelerator collaboration with Universal Music India.

With over seven years of experience across music creation, digital growth, and artist marketing, Aayeer brings a unique blend of creative and commercial insight. Her journey spans being an artist herself to working with music teams at Sony Music India, where she played a key role in shaping platform partnerships and strengthening artist narratives to expand the label’s digital footprint.

Speaking on her appointment, Aayeer said that contemporary music is no longer about fitting into predefined categories, but about creating spaces where artists can express their authentic selves. She added that her focus at Songfest will be on nurturing unique sounds and personas through culture-led, creator-first storytelling to help artists scale globally.

Gaurav Dagaonkar, Co-Founder and CEO of Hoopr, said the independent music ecosystem now requires leadership that understands both creativity and scale. He noted that Songfest is built to help artists move from creation to consistency, and Aayeer’s experience as an artist, strategist, and operator makes her well-positioned to lead the platform’s next phase of growth.

The appointment reinforces Hoopr’s long-term vision of building a sustainable, artist-first music ecosystem where independent music can reach the right audiences and generate enduring value.