{
  "id": 9627820,
  "title": "The Deals: GRAI Acquires Social Music Platform Hangout; DICE Owner Fever Raises $250M",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/the-deals-grai-acquires-social-music-platform-hangout-dice-owner",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-24T20:22:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/lists/ai-music-company-grai-acquires-hangout-music-industry-deals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "AI music company GRAI has acquired the social music platform Hangout, founded by the creators of Turntable.fm. GRAI aims to create an AI-powered streaming service that leverages Hangout's insights into social listening behavior alongside GRAI's technology and vision for consumer products. Hangout, launched in November 2024, offers users the ability to create listening rooms and play music for their guests. It boasts a library of over 100 million songs, acquired through licensing deals with major labels and the indie rights group Merlin.\n\nAndrei Avsievich, co-founder and president of GRAI, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition, stating that the future of streaming lies in social and co-creative experiences. He emphasized that GRAI's technology and consumer product vision align perfectly with Hangout's mission.\n\nJoseph Perla, the founder of Hangout, shared his vision for the platform, explaining that he created Hangout to recreate the communal experience of listening to music with friends. He believes that GRAI's AI technology will help maintain the core belief of fostering human connection through music.\n\nGRAI was established in 2025 by the team behind the AI video-editing app Vochi, which was subsequently acquired by Pinterest.",
  "summary": "Also this week: Dan Loeb's Third Point increases its stake in Live Nation, MNRK acquires the Black Label Society catalog and more.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}