Groover

Groover operates an online music promotion platform that lets independent artists submit a track, with a short pitch, directly to a selected list of curators, playlist programmers, radio stations, blogs, journalists, labels, DJs and other music professionals. Submissions are paid for with platform credits called "Grooviz"; reaching one curator or professional costs 2 Grooviz, priced from about €2 (the site also cites a starting price of $2 per contact). If a chosen contact does not respond within seven days, the artist's credits are refunded. The company's site describes a directory of 3,000+ curators and pros (a signup page cites 4,000+) covering genres from pop, hip-hop and electronic to jazz, classical, metal and reggae, and states that more than 600,000 artists and professionals use the service.

Alongside the core submission marketplace, Groover has added artist services layered on top of the platform. Groover Club is a membership offering coaching, masterclasses and personalized follow-up sessions, initially for 1,000 artists in France and the US. Groover Obsessions is a selective career-development program; as of February 2024 roughly 300 artists were supported, including Gorillaz bassist Seye Adelekan, indie band Faux Real, artist ZOLA and Swiss Olympic snowboarder and indie folk artist Pat Burgener. The company frames its positioning around the saturation of streaming release volume, citing over 120,000 tracks released daily.

Groover reports cumulative outcomes including over 5 million pieces of feedback, more than 1 million shares, reviews and playlist adds, and 1,500+ label signings. Artists cited as having used the platform include Parov Stelar, Michael Bolton, Aloe Blacc, Wallows, Passenger, Bonobo, La Femme and Tchami, and labels listed as using it include Ninja Tune, PIAS, Because Music, Kitsuné Musique, Tomorrowland Music and Chinese Man Records.

Founding story

The company traces its origin to three founders — Romain Palmieri, Rafael Cohen and Dorian Perron — who met at UC Berkeley and were already active in music: Palmieri ran his own musical project and small label, and Perron ran the blog Indeflagration, where he received large volumes of artist emails. Frustrated that artists' demos and emails went unanswered, they built a platform to connect artists directly with industry professionals for real feedback and opportunities.

Business model

Artists pay per submission using prepaid credits ("Grooviz"), with two Grooviz — around €2 — required to reach each curator or music professional; unanswered submissions are refunded in credits after seven days. The company positions this as lower cost than traditional PR services and encourages artists to send to at least 50 curators per campaign. Additional paid services include the Groover Club membership (coaching, masterclasses, follow-up sessions) and the Groover Obsessions career-development program.

Revenue comes from artists purchasing platform credits to send tracks to curators and professionals, plus membership and artist-services offerings such as Groover Club. As of February 2024 the company said it generated 80% of its revenue internationally, with the US alone contributing nearly 40%.

Traction

As of February 2024 the company reported nearly 350,000 independent artists from over 180 countries and more than 4 million personalized reviews generated. Company materials subsequently cite more than 600,000 artists and pros using the platform, 3,000+ curators and professionals listening to tracks daily, over 5 million pieces of feedback, 1 million+ shares, reviews and playlist adds, and 1,500+ label signings. The New York office launched in early 2022 made the US the top market within six months, at nearly 40% of revenue.

Latest developments

In February 2024 Groover announced an $8 million Series A led by OneRagtime, Trind, Techmind and MozzaAngels with participation from existing backers Partech, Bpifrance's Tech & Touch fund, Verve Ventures and Frenchfounders, to fund an all-in-one platform strategy adding promotion, marketing, coaching and career-development services and to expand in North America, Europe and Latin America. The company also launched the Groover Club membership and the Groover Obsessions program, hired marketing, product and tech staff with music-industry backgrounds from the start of 2024, and press coverage references a rebrand with new features and an expansion of its Artist Services and Toolkit.